Cape St George (Last Corner) (45021)
Papua New Guinea, Australasia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1e
Year of last assessment: 2025
National site name: Cape St George (Last Corner)
Central coordinates: Latitude: -4.6320, Longitude: 152.8710
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 1920
Area of KBA (km2): 874.62954
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Cape Saint George is situated at the southern tip of New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. It ascends from sea level to almost 2,000 m. It covers an area of just over 900 km2, from lowland to montane rain forest. It includes Lambom island, off the southwest coast of New Ireland. Much of the forest remains in situ, although there is some loss around the low-lying urban areas on the coastline.
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) KBA identified by the 2012 CEPF East Melanesia Ecosystem Profile process.
April 2025. This site holds the only known population of the Critically Endangered tree species, Syzygium ovalifolium, and so triggers the A1e criteria. There are also five bird species, including Becks Petrel that is thought to breed in the mountain range, six bats, a reptile and a butterfly.
Manageability of the site: The majority of the site is upland or montane forest and is very difficult to access and is subject to little threat. The lowland, coastal forest area is more at risk, there has been some loss in this area. The site falls entirely within the New Ireland province, who provide the mechanism for promoting management across the bulk of the site.
Delineation rationale: The site boundary currently follows the coastline on the south, west and eastern border. The north eastern border follows the Weitin River corridor inland and skirts the mountain range, joining the west coast at the peninsula just north of Kaboman.
Additional information
Contributors: BGCI