Current view: Text account
Site description (2007 baseline):
Site location and context
Potworks Dam IBA is in south-east Antigua, c.2 km north of the village of Bethesda and Bethesda Dam IBA (AG012). The reservoir dam was under construction in 1969 when the area flooded as a result of exceptionally heavy rains. The dam site filled with water before preparation of the site was finished, but is considered a municipal reservoir and is an important source of water for domestic and agricultural use. Due to the very shallow sides to the reservoir and frequent droughts, the shoreline fluctuates greatly over time, reducing opportunities for the establishment of aquatic vegetation. Land surrounding most of the reservoir is former sugar cane estate land that is now farmed or grazed (primarily by free-roaming cattle).
The planted woodland and shrublands around parts of this IBA support populations of four (of the 11) Lesser Antilles EBA restricted-range birds that occur in Antigua. However, Potworks Dam is most notable for its waterbirds and numerous Neotropical migratory shorebirds. Over 100 Ruddy Duck
Oxyura jamaicensis and 50 Pied-billed Grebe
Podilymbus podiceps can be found, but the numbers of Laughing Gull
Larus atricilla are globally significant, and Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis are regionally so.
Non-bird biodiversity: Nothing recorded.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The dam and surrounding lands were bought by the government in the late 1950s, but most of these lands are now leased to farmers. Now, due to intense crop cultivation in the area the reservoir is becoming highly polluted by pesticides and fertilizer run-off. Potworks Reservoir is a proposed Wildlife Reserve, but currently enjoys no formal protection. The Forestry Division has planted trees (e.g. neem, whitewood,
Lignum vitae) on a small area on the northern side of the reservoir to protect the reservoir edges. The government-owned Public Utilities Company also tries to restrict use of the water for recreational purposes, but cattle still drink the water and feed on any marginal vegetation.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Potworks Dam (Antigua and Barbuda). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/potworks-dam-iba-antigua-and-barbuda on 22/11/2024.
