Foyn Island (30157)
Antarctica, Antarctica
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2015
National site name: Foyn Island
Central coordinates: Latitude: -71.9514, Longitude: 171.0893
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 100
Area of KBA (km2): 2.24048
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Foyn Island is the second largest of the Possession Islands, which lie 17 km east of Cape Roget, at the southern extremity of Adare Peninsula, Borchgrevink Coast, northern Victoria Land. Foyn Island extends around 2 km across. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the concentration of seabirds present (in particular Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae)) and comprises the entire island. The nearest permanent stations are Mario Zucchelli (ITA) and Jang Bogo (KOR), ~370 km to the south in Terra Nova Bay.
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: The Adélie Penguin colony at Foyn Island had a mean of 30 494 breeding pairs over 6 seasons sampled from 1981 – 2012 (Lyver et al. 2014). South Polar Skuas (Catharacta maccormicki) are also present on the island, with 397 breeding pairs recorded in the 1980s (Ainley et al. 1986), although because this count was made from an aerial survey it has not be used for the purpose of assessing the IBA. No recent information is available on the skua colony, and information on other birds breeding in the area is not available. Non-bird biodiversity: None known.
Delineation rationale: Island coastline where island is ≤ 5 km2.
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: No tourist ships are known to have visited Foyn Island over the last ten years. The last recorded visit was in 1994/95 when 131 passengers landed, and two ships in 1992/93 landed a combined total of 220 passengers (IAATO Tourism Statistics, accessed: 02/02/2015).
Additional information
References: Ainley, D.G., Morrell, S.H. & Wood, R.C. 1986. South Polar Skua breeding colonies in the Ross Sea region. Notornis 33: 155-63. Lyver, P.O'B., Barron, M., Barton, K.J., Ainley, D.G., Pollard, A., Gordon, S., McNeill, S., Ballard, G. & Wilson P.R. 2014. Trends in the breeding population of Adélie Penguins in the Ross Sea, 1981–2012: a coincidence of climate and resource extraction effects. PLoS ONE 9(3): e91188. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0091188