Guadalcanal Watersheds (26705)
Solomon Islands, Australasia

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1e, B2

Year of last assessment: 2025

National site name: Guadalcanal Watersheds

Central coordinates: Latitude: -9.6820, Longitude: 160.2120

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 0 to 2330

Area of KBA (km²): 3761.46201

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: This site is on the largest, and most geologically complex island in the Solomon Islands. It encompasses the rugged mountain range that ascends to 2,330m - Mount Popomaneseu being the highest peak in the Solomon Islands. This range creates distinct climates, with some of the highest rainfall in the Solomons in the south, while the northern areas are in a rain shadow and are sheltered from prevailing winds. Dominant vegetation is upland and montane forests - this site supports the largest contiguous montane forest in the country. There are also forests on ultrabasic soils, and numerous high-elevation wetlands, bogs and palm forests.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. Alliance for Zero Extinction (2018): site confirmed as an AZE site during the AZE project (2015-2018). April 2025. This site holds the only known population of the tree species that triggers the A1e criteria, Cryptocarya medicinalis (assessed as Critically Endangered) and Litsea papillosa (assessed as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct)). It also includes six bird species that trigger criterion B2 and a number of legacy trigger species - one reptile species, two plant species, two butterfly species, eight bird species and 10 mammal species.

Manageability of the site: Much of the site is rugged, and difficult to access. Accordingly, there is little or no active management across the site. The site is large and there are a lot of landowners, but community resource use is limited. There are issues regarding mineral rights, and an increase in the influence of the extractive industry.

Delineation rationale: 2014-03-11 (BL Secretariat): the original AZE area of 62872 ha (calculated from GIS) has been expanded to 376,146 ha, following the 2012 CEPF Ecosystem Profile. April, 2025. The site runs from coast to coast through large parts of Guadalcanal, the developed areas along the north coast including inland from Honiara, are included only to the extent of the native forest. Future assessments are likely to partition the site into more manageable units.

Habitats

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Forest	25	Forest – Subtropical/tropical moist lowland
Wetlands(Inland)	2	Wetlands (inland) – Bogs, marshes, swamps, fens, peatlands
Forest	65	Forest – Subtropical/tropical moist montane
Grassland	8	Grassland – Subtropical/tropical high altitude

Threats

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Energy production & mining	Renewable energy		Only in the future

Additional information