Ferguslie Peninsula, Laurie Island (29437)
Antarctica, Antarctica
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2015
National site name: Ferguslie Peninsula, Laurie Island
Central coordinates: Latitude: -60.6949, Longitude: -44.5595
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 250
Area of KBA (km2): 1.07392
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Ferguslie Peninsula lies on the northern coast of Laurie Island between Browns Bay and Macdougal Bay. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the concentration of seabirds present (in particular Chinstrap Penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica)) and comprises all of ice-free area on Ferguslie Peninsula, extending to Cape Geddes. The nearest research station is Orcadas (ARG) which is located 9 km to the southwest of the IBA. Orcadas operates year-round with around 45 personnel present in summer and 14 in winter (COMNAP, Antarctic Facilities, accessed 01/09/2010).
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 12 420 pairs of Chinstrap Penguin were breeding at the site in 1983, with colonies at Cape Geddes and on the east side of Ferguslie Peninsula (Poncet & Poncet 1985). Coria et al . (1996) reported 7318 pairs of Chinstrap Penguin breeding at the northwestern extremity of Cape Geddes in Jan 1994. Approximately 228 pairs of Southern Giant Petrel ( Macronectes giganteus ) were breeding at Cape Geddes in 1993 (Coria et al . 1996), and 187 in 2006 (ACAP 2010b). 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: ACAP (Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels) 2010b. ACAP Species assessment: Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus . Downloaded from http://www.acap.aq on 12/03/ 2015. Coria, N.R., Blendinger, P.G. & Montalti, D. 1996. The breeding birds of Cape Geddes, Laurie Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica. Marine Ornithology 24: 43-44. Poncet, S. & Poncet, J. 1985. A survey of penguin breeding populations at the South Orkney Islands, Antarctica. British Antarctic Survey Bulletin 68: 71-81.