email a friend
printable version
close| Location | French Southern Territories |
| Central coordinates | 42o 42.00' East 17o 3.00' South |
| IBA criteria | A4i, A4iii |
| Area | 850 ha |
| Altitude | 0 - 15m |
| Year of IBA assessment | 2001 |
Ornithological information 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.
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.
Populations of IBA trigger species
| Species | Season | Period | Population estimate | Quality of estimate | IBA Criteria | IUCN Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata | breeding | - | 100,000 breeding pairs | - | A4i | Least Concern |
Land use
| Land-use | Extent (% of site) |
|---|---|
| military | - |
| not utilised | - |
Other biodiversity The islet is a nesting site for the sea-turtle Chelonia mydas (EN).
Management considerations 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.
References Barré and Servan (1988), Guyon (1994b), Seitre (1997).
Contribute Please click here to help BirdLife conserve the world's birds - your data for this IBA and others are vital for helping protect the environment.
Recommended citation BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Juan de Nova. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
|
|