Data Zone
Country/territory: India
IBA criteria met: A2 (2004)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 2,948 ha
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2003 | not assessed | medium | not assessed |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2004 baseline)
The Land Fall Island Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. In this IBA, the mangroves are still more or less intact, with medium to large trees, extensive lagoons and creeks. Further inland, tropical rain forest is found. Pandanus andamanensium and P. tectorius are seen in the creeks and lagoons.
Key biodiversity
AVIFAUNA: The site is inaccessible and requires proper survey to identify the avifauna. However, the following Restricted Range species are assumed to be present in the Sanctuary (R. Sankaran pers. comm. 2003, R. Sivakumar pers. comm. 2003). Due to very few studies having been conducted here, it is a Data Deficient site. Apart from this tentative list, more Restricted Range species are probably present in this IBA. Moreover, many endemic subspecies, which are not included in the Red Data List but nevertheless vital from the conservation point of view, are also found here.
OTHER KEY FAUNA: There is no large terrestrial wild mammal on this site. The Andaman Water Monitor Varanus salvator andamanensis, which can swim between the islands, has colonised this site. Lagoons and the sea around Land Fall Island abound in Green Sea Turtle Chelonia mydas and Hawksbill Turtle Eretmochelys imbricata. Various corals and fish have been recorded in the seas around this IBA.
Acknowledgements
Key contributor: Ravi Sankaran.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Landfall Island Wildlife Sanctuary (India). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/landfall-island-wildlife-sanctuary-iba-india on 22/11/2024.