Data Zone
Country/territory: Cayman Islands (to UK)
IBA criteria met: A1, A2 (2007)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 239 ha
Site description (2006 baseline)
The site, north of East End town and the most easterly of all IBA sites, is dry forest that is rapidly being cleared and fragmented. It is the only tract of dry forest remaining on the east side of the island. It is 100% privately owned and unprotected. In the 1980s, this site contained some of the largest trees on Grand Cayman and was a major parrot breeding site; there have been no recent population counts.
Key biodiversity
These
are the Near-threatened Cuban Parrot caymanensis and the Near-threatened and restricted-range Vitelline Warbler vitellina, each with more than 1% of the global population; and three restricted-range species: the Thick-billed Vireo alleni, Yucatan Vireo caymanensis and the Cuban Bullfinch taylori. All five biome species occur at the site.
Non-bird biodiversity: Plants endemic to Grand Cayman: Chionanthus caymanensis var. longipetala, Crossopetalum caymanense, Allophylus cominia var. caymanensis; Myrmecophilia thompsoniana thompsonia, Dendrophylax fawcettii and Tolumnia caymanense. Reptiles endemic to Grand Cayman: Anolis conspersus lewisi, Sphaerodactylus argivus lewisi, Tropidophis caymanensis caymanensis and Alsophis cantherigerus caymanensis; the endangered Cyclura (nubile)lewisi occurs in adjacent shrubland.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Eastern Dry Forest (Cayman Islands (to UK)). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/eastern-dry-forest-iba-cayman-islands-(to-uk) on 23/11/2024.