Juan de Nova (6771)
French Southern Territories, Antarctica

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: D1a

Year of last assessment: 2014

National site name: Juan de Nova

Central coordinates: Latitude: -17.0550, Longitude: 42.7240

System: marine, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 0 to 15

Area of KBA (km²): 5.06442

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The site is a coral island in the central Mozambique Channel, lying around 200 km west-south-west of Cap Saint André, Madagascar. Its ecosystems were severely degraded by human settlement for guano extraction until 1972. Only two naturalists have visited the site since the 1950s, but the vegetation is believed to be low shrubland. The island is used by the military, and also supports a meteorological station.

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. KBA identified in the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands Hotspot (2014). Taxonomy, nomenclature and threat status follow the 2013 IUCN Red List.

Additional biodiversity: See Box for key species. Juan de Nova supports a very large colony of Sterna fuscata, in addition to a small population (at least 50 pairs in 1994) of nesting S. bergii. At least seven landbird species occur, most probably introduced. Non-bird biodiversity: The islet is a nesting site for the sea-turtle Chelonia mydas (EN).

Delineation rationale: Type 1 marine IBA: suitable for the seaward extension approach.

Habitats

Land use: military | not utilised

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Unlike the other Iles Eparses, this site was not made a Nature Reserve in the 1970s, because of political factors operating at the time, and it remains unprotected. Threats have not been studied in detail. However, by analogy with other islands in the region, disturbance to the seabird colony, and the impacts of exotic mammals, are likely to be problems. Predation of seabirds by cats has recently been confirmed, and Rattus sp. and Mus musculus are both present.

Additional information