Lucas Island (45195)
Antarctica, Antarctica
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2015
National site name: Lucas Island
Central coordinates: Latitude: -68.5039, Longitude: 77.9558
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 40
Area of KBA (km2): 0.09289
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Lucas Island is situated 3.5 km northwest of Plough Island and 5 km west of southern Long Peninsula, in Prydz Bay on the Ingrid Christensen Coast, Princess Elizabeth Land. Lucas Island is ~ 0.6 km long and up to 0.2 km wide, rises to ~40 m, and is mostly ice free in summer. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) colony present and comprises all of Lucas Island. The nearest permanent station is Davis (AUS), ~8 km to the south on Broad Peninsula, Vestfold Hills.
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: Whitehead & Johnstone (1990) estimated 13 663 breeding pairs of Adélie Penguin on Lucas Island in 1981/82. No recent census is available for the colony. Penguins nest over the entire island. No other birds are known to breed on the island. Non-bird biodiversity: None known.
Delineation rationale: Island coastline where island is ≤ 5 km2.
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: None known.
Additional information
References: Australian Antarctic Data Centre. 2012. Vestfold Hills Map 2 of 5, Scale 1: 50 000. Edition 6. Catalogue ID 13980. Whitehead, M.D. & Johnstone, G.W. 1990. The distribution and estimated abundance of Adélie Penguins breeding in Prydz Bay, Antarctica. NIPR Symposium on Polar Biology: 91-98.