Downshire Cliffs (45217)
Antarctica, Antarctica
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2015
National site name: Downshire Cliffs
Central coordinates: Latitude: -71.5531, Longitude: 170.5704
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 1400
Area of KBA (km2): 2.43104
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The Downshire Cliffs are formed of basalt rising to 2000 m on the eastern slopes of the Adare Peninsula, Borchgrevink Coast, northern Victoria Land. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the concentration of seabirds present (in particular Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae)) and comprises the ice free slopes below Downshire Cliffs where the penguins breed. The nearest permanent stations are Mario Zucchelli (ITA) and Jang Bogo (KOR), ~400 km to the south in Terra Nova Bay.
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: A mean of 19 617 breeding pairs of Adélie Penguin was reported over 5 seasons sampled between 1981 and 2012 (Lyver et al. 2014). Information on other bird species at the site is not available. Non-bird biodiversity: None known.
Delineation rationale: 1.26 km radius around point, truncated at coastline.
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: None known.
Additional information
References: Lyver, P.O'B., Barron, M., Barton, K.J., Ainley, D.G., Pollard, A., Gordon, S., McNeill, S., Ballard, G. & Wilson P.R. 2014. Trends in the breeding population of Adélie Penguins in the Ross Sea, 1981–2012: a coincidence of climate and resource extraction effects. PLoS ONE 9(3): e91188. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0091188