Canary current shelf-break (north) (30956)
Morocco, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2016
National site name: Canary current shelf-break (north)
Central coordinates: Latitude: 21.0867, Longitude: -17.5767
System: marine
Area of KBA (km2): 10953.21146
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site is located on the Southern Moroccan shelf-break (50 m-1000 m deep) of the highly productive waters of the Canary current.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: The site is known to be intensively used for foraging by several species, including local breeders (e.g. Cory’s shearwaters from Canaries during the breeding period and from Selvagens during post-breeding period) and several migrants from northern and southern hemispheres (e.g. Northern Gannets, Pomarine Jaeger, European Storm-Petrels, Terns and Red Phalaropes).
Delineation rationale: 2012: Site identified by analysis of tracking dataset(s) - crs_lpa_pg, crs_all_nb. 2016: Marine area located on the shelf-break (50-1000 m deep) of the highly productive waters of the Canary current; the existing boundary has been refined, based on at-sea surveys, tracking data and published information about the bathymetric preferences of the species, with consequent reduction in site area from 3,117,997 ha to 116,281 ha.
Habitats
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Oceanic | 100 |