Data Zone
Country/territory: High Seas
IBA criteria met: A1, A4ii (2012)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 2,566,005 hectares (25,660.05 km2)
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 25660 km2 and is 801 km away from the closet coastline. The depth ranges from 3488 to 3940 m, with a mean annual wind speed of 3.69 m/s, mean annual sea surface temperature falls between 4.74 and 6.2 °C and mean annual chlorophyll-a concentrations found to range between 0.25 and 1.68 mg/m3.
Key biodiversity
1 species triggers IBA criteria at this Marine IBA. BirdLife analyses of tracking data estimates that 347-495 individuals of Wandering Albatross (VU) from Iles Kerguelen are present at the site during the Incubation (Dec-Mar) life-history stage.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Indian Ocean, Eastern 22 - Marine (High Seas). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/indian-ocean-eastern-22--marine-iba-high-seas on 22/12/2024.