Rivière des Remparts - Rivière Langevin (6767)
Réunion (to France), Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: B2
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: Rivière des Remparts - Rivière Langevin
Central coordinates: Latitude: -21.2500, Longitude: 55.6500
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 100 to 2320
Area of KBA (km2): 87.64362
Protected area coverage (%): 99.99
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site comprises two extremely steep-sided ravines in the south of the island, separated by a narrow, cultivated plateau and an uncultivated ridge. The riverbeds are affected by floods and landslides, and support a few habitations and cultivated areas, but the ramparts are unaltered. The site includes lowland and montane habitats (100–2,320 m), including mixed moist evergreen lowland forest, mixed montane forest, and montane shrubland, bushland and thicket. The most exposed, steep cliffs are bare rock.
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: See Box and Table 2 for key species. Rivière des Remparts supports the highest density of Puffinus lherminieri colonies known on La Réunion, and also a high density of Circus maillardi (10–15 pairs in 1997). All the other forest-living native birds of La Réunion occur, except Coracina newtoni. Historical accounts describe petrels Pterodroma sp. nesting in the upper part of the site; none have been found recently, but they may nevertheless occur. Non-bird biodiversity: There is a wide diversity of native plant communities.
Delineation rationale: Type 1 marine IBA: suitable for the seaward extension approach.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Fires have destroyed a large part of the vegetation of the western part of the Rivières des Remparts above 1,700 m. No other specific threats have been identified.
Additional information
References: Anon. (1998), Barré (1988), Barré et al. (1996), Cadet (1980), Cheke (1987b), Clouet (1978), Dupont et al. (1989), Ghestemme et al. (1998), Guillermet and Guillermet (1986).