Data Zone
Country/territory: High Seas
IBA criteria met: A1, A4ii (2012)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 1,151,446 ha
Site description (2012 baseline)
This Marine IBA is identified using tracking data. It falls within High Seas International Waters and the Pacific, Southwest FAO ocean region. The site covers an area of 11514 km2 and is 635 km away from the closet coastline. The depth ranges from 4489 to 4594 m, with a mean annual wind speed of 2.56 m/s, mean annual sea surface temperature falls between 14.47 and 15.91 °C and mean annual chlorophyll-a concentrations found to range between 0.32 and 0.43 mg/m3.
Key biodiversity
2 species trigger IBA criteria at this Marine IBA. BirdLife analyses of tracking data estimates that 1286-1286 individuals of Gould's Petrel (VU) from New Caledonia are present at the site during the Breeding (Dec-May) life-history stage. 173-434 individuals of Wandering Albatross (VU) from Iles Kerguelen are present at the site during the Juvenile (Jan-Jun) life-history stage.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Pacific, Southwest 12 - Marine (High Seas). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/pacific-southwest-12--marine-iba-high-seas on 22/11/2024.