Font Hill (27478)
Jamaica, Caribbean
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a
Year of last assessment: 2019
National site name: Font Hill
Central coordinates: Latitude: 18.0412, Longitude: -77.9402
System: freshwater, marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 17
Area of KBA (km2): 9.79698
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Font Hill IBA is located 13 km west of Black River Morass IBA (JM007) in St. Elizabeth Parish, on the south coast of south-western Jamaica. It includes 1 km offshore of marine habitat.
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. KBA identified in the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the Caribbean Islands Hotspot (2019). Taxonomy, nomenclature and threat category follow the 2017 IUCN Red List.
Additional biodiversity: This IBA is significant for supporting 19 (of the 36) Jamaica EBA restricted-range birds. Sixty-one percent (17 of 28) of Jamaican endemic birds have been recorded in the IBA. More than 50 Vulnerable West Indian Whistling-duck Dendrocygna arborea breed in the wetlands, and there is presence of the Near Threatened White-crowned Pigeon Patagioenas leucocephala and Masked Duck Nomonyx dominicus . Other wetland and coastal bird species breeding or wintering in the area include gulls, terns, grebes, herons, egrets and gallinules. At least 35 (of the 72) species of Neotropical migratory birds recorded use the IBA in winter, such as the Swainson's Warbler Limnothlypis swainsonii, which is found regularly along the mangrove margins at the Font Hill site, but is infrequent elsewhere in Jamaica. The wetlands comprise more than 10 fresh to brackish (mangrove-fringed) ponds and sloughs that tend to dry out during the dry season (January-March), but retain at least some water in the deepest ponds every year, and thus provide one of the only sources of fresh water within tens of km of the site. These ponds provide a focus of activity (feeding, bathing, nesting) for many birds, both aquatic and terrestrial species, especially in the driest years. Non-bird biodiversity: The Vulnerable West Indian Manatee Trichechus manatus occurs, and the coast is a nesting area for sea turtles such as the Critically Endangered Hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata , Endangered Green turtle Chelonia mydas and Loggerhead Caretta caretta . Font Hill IBA along with Black River Great Morass IBA have been identified as the most important American Crocodile Crocodylus acutus habitats in Jamaica.
Other site values: Private property
Delineation rationale: Map has been sent to David Diaz and Amy Upgren on 16 July 2010 by Veronica Anadon.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: A diversity of pristine habitats including mangrove forest (black, red and white), undisturbed beaches and coastal scrub vegetation help protect against coastal erosion. Salinas or salt ponds range from the hyper-saline mangrove ponds of southern Font Hill to inland freshwater ponds. The inshore marine ecosystems include extensive areas of very healthy and productive sea grass beds (which form important fish nurseries). The coastal areas and the freshwater ponds receive some pressure from local fishing. A popular beach park borders the entrance to the natural area and is a popular destination for local Jamaicans. A large portion of Font Hill is used for agricultural purposes including experimental plantings of trees for the development of coal to cashew and mango plantations to squash and yam fields
Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture | tourism/recreation
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 40 | |
| Marine Neritic | 20 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 20 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 20 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: A potential touristic development, including possible nearby airstrip, has been proposed to the IBA.
Additional information
References: 1) Holmes, R.T., T.W. Sherry, and L.R. Reitsma. 1989. Population structure, territoriality, and overwinter survival of two migrant warbler species in Jamaica. Condor 91: 545-561. 2) Marra, P.P., K.A. Hobson, and R.T. Holmes. 1998. Linking winter and summer events in a migratory bird by using stable-carbon isotopes. Science 282: 1884-1886. 3) Marra, P.P. 2000. The role of behavioral dominance in structuring habitat occupancy of a migrant bird during the non-breeding season. Behavioral Ecology 11: 299-308. 4) Strong, A.M., and T.W. Sherry. 2000. Habitat-specific effects of food abundance on the condition of Ovenbirds wintering in Jamaica. Journal of Animal Ecology 69:883-895. 5) Marra, P.P., and R.T. Holmes. 2001. Consequences of dominance-mediated habitat segregation in a migrant passerine bird during the non-breeding season. Auk 118:94-106. 6) Studds, C. E. and Marra, P. P. 2005. Non-breeding habitat occupancy and population processes: an upgrade experiment with a migratory bird. Ecology 86: 2380-2385. 7) Brown, D.R., T.W. Sherry. 2006. Food supply controls physical condition of a long distance migrant bird wintering in the tropics. Oecologia 149: 22-32. 8) Johnson, M.D., T.W. Sherry, R.T. Holmes, and P.P. Marra. 2006. Assessing habitat quality for a migratory songbird wintering in natural and agricultural habitats. Conservation Biology 20: 1433-1444. 9) Studds C., K. Kyser and P.P. Marra. 2008. Natal Dispersal Driven by Environmental Conditions Interacting Across the Annual Cycle of a Migratory Songbird. 2008. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 105: 2929-2933. 10) Studds C. and P.P. Marra. 2007. Linking fluctuations in rainfall to non-breeding season performance in a long-distance migratory bird. Climate Research 35:115–122
Contributors: Pete Marra, Tom Sherry, Ann Sutton