Data Zone
The site was identified as important in 2012 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.
Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:| Species | Red List1 | Season | Year(s) | Size | IBA criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wedge-tailed Shearwater Ardenna pacifica | LC | breeding | 1990 | 20,000-50,000 individuals | A4ii |
| Red-footed Booby Sula sula | LC | breeding | 1990 | 10,000 individuals | A4ii |
| Brown Booby Sula leucogaster | LC | breeding | 1990 | 1,000-10,000 individuals | A4ii |
| Polynesian Starling Aplonis tabuensis | LC | breeding | 1990 | abundant | A2 |
| A4iii Species group - seabirds | n/a | breeding | 1990 | 31,000-61,000 individuals | A4iii |
| A4iii Species group - waterbirds | n/a | breeding | 1990 | 20,000 individuals | A4iii |
1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2012) may differ.
Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2012. The most recent assessment (2012) is shown below.
| IBA conservation assessment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | State | Pressure | Response |
| 2012 | not assessed | medium | negligible |
| Whole site assessed? | State assessed by | Accuracy of information | |
| yes | population | medium | |
| State (condition of the trigger species' populations) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Reference | Actual | Units | % remaining | Result |
| A4iii Species group - seabirds | 46,000 | 46,000 | individuals | 100 | not assessed |
| A4iii Species group - waterbirds | 20,000 | 20,000 | individuals | 100 | not assessed |
| Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threat | Timing | Scope | Severity | Result |
| Climate change and severe weather | likely in long term (beyond 4 years) | whole area/population (>90%) | slow but significant deterioration | medium |
| Invasive and other problematic species and genes | happening now | whole area/population (>90%) | no or imperceptible deterioration | low |
| Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected areas | Management plan | Other action | Result |
| Little/none of site covered (<10%) | No management planning has taken place | Very little or no conservation action taking place | negligible |
| Habitat1 | Habitat detail | % of IBA |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | Lowland evergreen rain forest (tropical) | major (>10) |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: 'Ata Island (Tonga). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ata-island-iba-tonga on 23/11/2024.