• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

Site description (2012 baseline)
This Marine IBA is identified using tracking data. It falls within the French Southern Territories Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the Indian Ocean, FAO ocean region. The site covers an area of 105756 km2 and is 1073 km away from the closet coastline. The depth ranges from 1844 to 4643 m, with a mean annual wind speed of 2.29 m/s, mean annual sea surface temperature falls between 14.95 and 17.32 °C and mean annual chlorophyll-a concentrations found to range between 0.14 and 0.25 mg/m3.

Key biodiversity
4 species trigger IBA criteria at this Marine IBA. BirdLife analyses of tracking data estimates that 2-43 individuals of Amsterdam Albatross (CR) from Ile Amsterdam are present at the site during the Brood-guard (May-Jun), Juvenile (Jan-Aug) and Post-guard (Jun-Jan) life-history stages. 5400-16500 individuals of Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (EN) from Ile Amsterdam are present at the site during the Post-guard (Jan-Mar) life-history stage.

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Area factsheet: Indian Ocean, Western 21 - Marine. Downloaded from http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/indian-ocean-western-21--marine-iba-french-southern-territories on 28/09/2023.