Tongoa - Laika (44677)
Vanuatu, Australasia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b
Year of last assessment: 2014
National site name: Tongoa - Laika
Central coordinates: Latitude: -16.8960, Longitude: 168.5580
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 475
Area of KBA (km2): 40.55613
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Tongoa is one of the Shepherd Islands off the Southeast coast of Epi. It is of recent volcanic origin, but has no currently active volcano. The site is centred around the village of Kurumabe, where there is an an active geothermal area that is used by Vanuatu Scrubfowl. Laika is a small island rising to c40m asl, to the north of Tongoa that is owned, and harvested by the people from Kurumabe village
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: North Tongoa is known for its population of Royal Parrotfinch, and as a high density Vanuatu Scrubfowl egg-laying colony. Laika is a large Wedge-tailed Shearwater colony. In addition small numbers of the pale Vanuatu Flying Fox roost on north Tongoa.
Other site values: The community at Kurumabe own much of the land on North Tongoa and the island of Laika.
Delineation rationale: 2015-06-10 (BL Secretariat): site area changed from 1338 ha to 3441 ha, following 2012 CEPF Ecosystem Profile.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: In north Tongoa much of the area is forested, with large banyan vines providing considerable food for many bird species, with only small patches of land suitable for cultivation. On Laika a semi-natural scrub vegetation predominates. The soil here is very loose and friable - enabling the shearwaters to burrow, but also meaning that walking around on the island can result in the destruction of lots of burrows.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 92 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The Scrubfowl, Shearwaters and Flying Fox are all subject to harvesting. The extent to which this has been, and will be in the future, sustainably managed is unclear.