Indian Ocean, Western 1 - Marine (30380)
High Seas, High Seas
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, A1c, A1d, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2012
National site name: Indian Ocean, Western 1 - Marine
Central coordinates: Latitude: -39.1500, Longitude: 34.3500
System: marine
Area of KBA (km2): 122990.3448
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This Marine IBA is identified using tracking data. It falls within High Seas International Waters and the Indian Ocean, FAO ocean region. The site covers an area of 122990 km2 and is 475 km away from the closet coastline. The depth ranges from 2845 to 6074 m, with a mean annual wind speed of 2.67 m/s, mean annual sea surface temperature falls between 12.13 and 19.98 °C and mean annual chlorophyll-a concentrations found to range between 0.22 and 0.57 mg/m3.
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.
Additional biodiversity: 6 species trigger IBA criteria at this Marine IBA. BirdLife analyses of tracking data estimates that 23-26 individuals of Amsterdam Albatross (CR) from Ile Amsterdam are present at the site during the Non-breeding (Apr-Nov) life-history stage. 555-584 individuals of Wandering Albatross (VU) from Prince Edward Island are present at the site during the Post-guard (Apr-Dec) life-history stage. 599-899 individuals of Wandering Albatross (VU) from South Georgia are present at the site during the Juvenile (Jun-Oct) life-history stage. 540-2700 individuals of Sooty Albatross (EN) from Iles Crozet are present at the site during the Incubation (Oct-Dec) and Non-breeding (Year-Round) life-history stages. 981-1570 individuals of Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (EN) from Prince Edward Island are present at the site during the Post-guard (Jan-Apr) life-history stage.
Delineation rationale: Site identified by analysis of tracking dataset(s) - ama_ami_nb, waa_pei_pg, waa_stg_fl, soa_crz_in, soa_crz_nb, yni_pei_pg
Habitats
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Neritic | 100 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |