Data Zone
Country/territory: High Seas
IBA criteria met: A1, A4ii (2012)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 726,616 ha
Site description (2012 baseline)
This Marine IBA is identified using tracking data. It falls within High Seas International Waters and the Indian Ocean, FAO ocean region. The site covers an area of 7266 km2 and is 535 km away from the closet coastline. The depth ranges from 3142 to 4150 m, with a mean annual wind speed of 3.56 m/s, mean annual sea surface temperature falls between 3.26 and 4.12 °C and mean annual chlorophyll-a concentrations found to range between 0.19 and 0.22 mg/m3.
Key biodiversity
1 species triggers IBA criteria at this Marine IBA. BirdLife analyses of tracking data estimates that 555-730 individuals of Wandering Albatross (VU) from Prince Edward Island are present at the site during the Post-guard (Apr-Dec) life-history stage.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Indian Ocean, Antarctic and Southern 12 - Marine (High Seas). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/indian-ocean-antarctic-and-southern-12--marine-iba-high-seas on 22/11/2024.