Bikar Atoll (24510)
Marshall Islands, Oceania
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2012
National site name: Bikar Atoll
Central coordinates: Latitude: 12.2500, Longitude: 170.1167
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 3
Area of KBA (km2): 0.71329
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Bikar is an uninhabited atoll, the secondmost northern atoll in the Marshall Islands. It is low and dry, semi-desert. Five islets form the atoll. The atoll is home to congregations of breeding seabirds and a rare semi-arid atoll ecosystem.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: The entire atoll of Bikar, in the Ratik chain, is proposed as an IBA under A4 criteria (Figure 7). While the population may have been only 17,000 in 1964, in 1967 the population was recorded as 37,000 in 1967 (Amerson, 1969), exceeding this threshold. The entire population has ranged from 19,350, just under the A4iii criteria threshold, to 41,750 individuals, exceeding the threshold. The atoll is uninhabited and was formerly protected under the Trust Territory Administration.
Delineation rationale: 2012-12-17 (BL Secretariat): original polygon clipped to hi-res coastline (marine areas removed) following identification in October 2012 of new marine IBA offshore this site; site area consequently changed from 96 ha (Global Islands Database) to 71 ha (GIS).
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Bikar, like Taongi, has a rare semi-arid atoll ecosystem. The atoll is covered with stands of healthy Pisonia forest.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Desert | 100 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Named species | Ongoing |