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Site description (2015 baseline)

The Géologie Archipelago lies within several km of the northwestern extremity of Astrolabe Glacier, Terre Adélie. Part of the archipelago was designated with special protection in 1995 (ASPA No.120 Pointe Géologie), including Rostand Island, Le Mauguen (formerly Carrel) Island, Lamarck Island, Bernard Island, Bon Docteur Nunatak and the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) breeding area that exists on sea ice in the vicinity. ASPA No.120 was designated as a representative example of the terrestrial Antarctic ecosystem, recognising the high biological, geological and aesthetic values of the site, and a key aspect of these values is the presence of substantial numbers of breeding birds.

The IBA qualifies on the basis of the Emperor Penguin and Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) colonies present at the site. The boundary of ASPA No.120 defines the extent of the IBA.

The nearest permanent station is Dumont d'Urville (FRA), located on Petrel Island ~0.5 km to the northwest and adjacent to the ASPA and IBA.

Key biodiversity

The Géologie Archipelago contains one of the most diverse bird communities found anywhere on the Antarctic continent, with eight breeding species present (Micol & Jouventin 2001). Approximately 3588 pairs of Emperor Penguin, 54 431 pairs of Adélie Penguin were estimated as breeding at Pointe Géologie in 2013 (Barbraud et al. 2011; Barbraud, Delord, Weimerskirch, unpublished data: C. Barbraud pers. comm. 2014). While more than 60 pairs of South Polar Skua (Catharacta maccormicki) breed on the islands of the Géologie Archipelago, only 36 pairs were breeding on the islands within the boundary of the IBA in 2012/13 (R. Phillips pers. comm. 2015).

Other breeding birds recorded throughout the ASPA / IBA in 2010/11 are as follows: Snow Petrel (Pagodroma nivea) 369 pairs, Cape Petrel (Daption capense) 322 pairs, and Wilson's Storm-petrel (Oceanites oceanicus) 371 pairs (CEBC-CNRS unpublished data & Micol & Jouventin (2001), cited in ASPA No. 120 Management Plan 2011). Specific data on numbers of breeding pairs present by species on particular islands are given in the ASPA No.120 Management Plan (2011). ACAP (2010b) reported 8-9 pairs of Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus) at Pointe Géologie in 2005.

Non-bird biodiversity: Weddell Seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) are reported to breed in the Géologie Archipelago area (ASPA No. 120 Management Plan 2011).

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Pointe Géologie (Antarctica). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/pointe-géologie-iba-antarctica on 26/12/2024.