Mahlac Caves (Guam (to USA)) - BirdLife IBA factsheet

GU002

Mahlac Caves

Current view: Data table and detailed info

IBA Justification

The site was identified as important in 2007 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
Mariana Swiftlet Aerodramus bartschi	VU	breeding	2000	700 individuals	A1, A2

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2007) may differ.

IBA Conservation

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2007. The most recent assessment (2014) is shown below.

IBA conservation assessment
Year of assessment	State	Pressure	Response
2014	favourable	high	high
Whole site assessed?	State assessed by	Accuracy of information
yes	population	good

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Mariana Swiftlet Aerodramus bartschi	1,000	1,000	individuals	100	favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A comprehensive and appropriate management plan exists that aims to maintain or improve the populations of qualifying bird species	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity	high

IBA Protection

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1993	Guam	National Wildlife Refuge	26

Land ownership

The IBA is located on lands owned by the US Government, which is liable to the US Endangered Species Act.

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Mahlac Caves (Guam (to USA)). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/mahlac-caves-iba-guam-(to-usa) on 23/11/2024.