Vapour Col, Deception Island (29405)
Antarctica, Antarctica
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2015
National site name: Vapour Col, Deception Island
Central coordinates: Latitude: -62.9888, Longitude: -60.7178
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 340
Area of KBA (km2): 1.32299
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Vapour Col lies above the southwestern coast of Deception Island, South Shetland Islands. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the concentration of seabirds present (in particular Chinstrap Penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica)) and comprises ice-free ground rising steeply from the shore of Deception Island to around 340 m at Vapour Col. Deception Island is a currently dormant volcanic caldera flooded by the sea, although the last eruption was in 1967-70. Large colonies of wildlife and a diversity of cryptograms, lichens and invertebrates are found on Deception Island. The island is designated as Antarctic Specially Managed Area No. 4 to help manage scientific and tourist use of the island and to protect its exceptional flora and fauna, historical features and scientific values (ASMA No. 4 Management Plan, 2005). The climate at Deception Island shows average annual air temperatures of 2.9°C at sea level with prevailing winds from the northeast and west. Precipitation is ~500 mm mean annual water equivalent, falling on more than half of summer days (ASMA No. 4 Management Plan, 2005). The nearest permanent scientific stations to the IBA are Decepciòn (ARG) and Gabriel de Castilla (ESP) located on the coast of Port Foster, Deception Island, around 800 m and 1.4 km northeast of the IBA respectively. These summer-only stations have a combined capacity of 90 people (COMNAP, Antarctic Facilities, accessed 23/08/2010).
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: Approximately 7500 pairs of Chinstrap Penguin were breeding on the coastal ice-free area near Vapour Col in 1987 (Shuford & Spear 1988b). A more recent census in December 2011 recorded 19 177 pairs (Naveen et al. 2013). Information on other bird species at Vapour Col is not available. Non-bird biodiversity: Antarctic Fur Seals (Arctocephalus gazella), Weddell Seals (Leptonychotes weddellii), Crabeater Seals (Lobodon carcinophagus), Southern Elephant Seals (Mirounga leonina) and Leopard Seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) are frequently observed hauled out on the inner and outer coasts of Deception Island (ASMA No. 4 Management Plan, 2005).
Delineation rationale: 1.26 km radius around point, truncated at coastline and permanent ice.
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Activities at Deception Island are carried out under the Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Managed Area No. 4. Station personnel are required to follow guidelines in the Management Plan, the implementation of which is monitored by national programmes operating in the area. Deception Island is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Antarctica, with an average of 14 600 tourists visiting the site by ship annually from 2005-10 (IAATO Tourism Statistics, accessed: 06/08/2010). Tourists follow a Code of Conduct (ASMA No. 4 Management Plan, Appendix 5, 2005), which directs recreational visits to selected sites. Tourists are discouraged from visiting other areas, including the colony near Vapour Col, so visitor impacts on the avifauna at Vapour Col are likely to be low. ASPAs No. 140 and No. 145 are designated at Deception Island, although these are protected for reasons related to terrestrial and marine ecology rather than for birds. Birds inhabiting volcanic islands typically exhibit higher mortality rates than at other locations due to the unstable nature of the environment, including geothermal activity, eruptions, gas seeps, and earthquakes (Convey et al. (1999) in Kendall et al. (2009)).
Additional information
References: ASMA No. 4 Deception Island, South Shetland Islands: Management Plan (2005). Kendall, K., Ruhl, H. & Wilson, R. 2003. Distribution and abundance of marine bird and pinniped populations within Port Foster, Deception Island, Antarctica. Deep Sea Research Part II: Tropical studies in Oceanography 50 (10): 1873-88. Naveen, R., Lynch,H.J., Forrest, S., Mueller, T. & Polito, M. 2012. First direct, site-wide penguin survey at Deception Island, Antarctica suggests significant in breeding chinstrap penguins. Polar Biology 35(12): 1879-88. Shuford, W.D. & Spear, L.B. 1988b. Surveys of breeding Chinstrap Penguins in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. British Antarctic Survey Bulletin 81: 19-30.