Current view: Text account
Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
The escarpment ranges in gradient from vertical cliffs to gradually sloping areas of colluvial soil. A line of wooded cliffs overlooking Anibare Bay, comprises the richest remaining native vegetation on the island, is distributed from Meneng Hotel in the south to the Ijuw-Anabar mangrove ponds in the north.
This site is reported as the area holding the highest density of Nauru Reed-warbler on the island, although actual numbers involved are not provided. It is likely to also be a preferred site for nesting Micronesian Imperial Pigeons, if any still remain, and is also known to hold numbers of tree-nesting seabirds such as black noddies.
The line of wooded cliffs represent just about the last area of Nauru that haven't been altered substantially by man. The woodland is dominated by Ficus prolixa, which reaches heights of up to 20metres, with Hibiscus tiliaceus, Adenanthera pavonia, Ochrosia elliptica, Calophyllum inophyllum, Prmena serratifolia, Barringtonia asiatica and Terminalia catappa. Vines are tangled in amongst the trees. On the narrower coastal strip on the southeastern side are several small ponds with traces of mangrove vegetation, with Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Rhizophora apiculata and Thespesia populnea. A second smaller depression is a tangled scrubby wood, partly of indigenous trees, with a scattering of Hibiscus tiliacaeus thickets and Annona, Citrus and other trees persisting from former plantings.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The topographical nature of the site renders it less susceptible to mining compared with all other areas on the island. Alien invasives are prevalent on the island, with rats, feral dogs and cats present. The extent that any/all of these species impact on the reed-warbler is unclear. Hunting of seabirds (and Micronesian Imperial Pigeon?) continues, which may well impact on the nesting populations of these species - but is only likely to be a disturbance to the reed-warbler.
The area was proposed as a protected area in the National Assessment Report (Republic of Nauru 2004).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Anibare Bay Escarpment (Nauru). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/anibare-bay-escarpment-iba-nauru on 23/12/2024.
