Milosz Point / Czeslaw Point, King George Island (29428)
Antarctica, Antarctica
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2015
National site name: Milosz Point / Czeslaw Point, King George Island
Central coordinates: Latitude: -61.9171, Longitude: -57.7533
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 250
Area of KBA (km2): 0.52481
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Milosz Point and Czeslaw Point are situated near Brimstone Peak on the northern coast of King George Island, and lie ~4 km west of North Foreland between Venus Bay and Emerald Cove. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the concentration of seabirds present (in particular Chinstrap Penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica)) and comprises the entire ice-free area of Milosz Point and Czeslaw Point. The nearest permanent scientific station is Comandante Ferraz (Brazil) which operates year-round on the northern shoreline of Admiralty Bay, located ~40 km to southwest, and which accommodates a maximum of ~40 people in the summer (COMNAP, Antarctic Facilities, accessed 24/08/2010).
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 16 770 breeding pairs of Chinstrap Penguin were present at Milosz Point and Czeslaw Point in 1980 (Jablonski 1984). Shuford & Spear (1988b) estimated between 7500 to 8500 breeding pairs in January 1987, although this was only a rough count. In view of the size of the colony, the age of count and interseasonal fluctuations in breeding numbers, a conservative approach has been taken and the IBA has been retained pending further data. Information on other birds breeding at the site is not available. Non-bird biodiversity: None known.
Delineation rationale: If ice-free area is ≤ 5 km2 then ice-free area is used as boundary.
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: None known.
Additional information
References: Jablonski, B. 1984. Distribution and numbers of penguins in the region of King George Island (South Shetland Islands) in the breeding season 1980/81. Polish Polar Research 5: 17-30. 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.