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The site was identified as important in 2013 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
Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus	LC	breeding	2012	29 breeding pairs	A4ii
Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis	LC	breeding	2007	29 breeding pairs	B4i
Brown Booby Sula leucogaster	LC	breeding	2012	644 breeding pairs	B4ii
Laughing Gull Larus atricilla	LC	resident	2004	2,500 breeding pairs	A4i
Least Tern Sternula antillarum	LC	breeding	2007	29 breeding pairs	B4i

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2013) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2013. The most recent assessment (2015) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus	75	75	individuals	100	favourable
Brown Booby Sula leucogaster	2,000	2,000	individuals	100	favourable
Laughing Gull Larus atricilla	150	150	individuals	100	favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Biological resource use	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Little/none of site covered (<10%)	No management planning has taken place	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	negligible

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1993	Prickly Pear Pond	Marine Park	-

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Marine Intertidal		major (>10)
Marine Neritic		major (>10)
Shrubland	Arid lowland scrub	major (>10)
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
tourism/recreation	major (>10)
urban/industrial/transport	major (>10)
nature conservation and research	major (>10)

Prickly Pear East is a privately-owned island while Prickly Pear West is crown-owned. Both islands are situated within a marine park (Prickly Pear Marine Park). Marine park regulations only govern activities occurring in the water and on the beach. No protection is afforded to other areas of the islands or the seabirds that found there. At least one large scale development proposal for tourism purposes on Prickly Pear East had been submitted to the Government of Anguilla during the 1990s. The proposal was not approved and today tourism activities centre on Prickly Pear East’s white sand beach, coral reefs, and two restaurants. Anecdotal evidence suggests increased use in the area by day and overnight visitors to Anguilla. Publications about the island request that visitors not venture into the seabird breeding colonies. The Anguilla National Trust, with in-water assistance provided by the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources, is currently working towards developing a management strategy (with stakeholder involvement) for the marine park and the islands. A count of the birds on both islands was completed in June 2007 by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Prickly Pear (East and West) (Anguilla (to UK)). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/prickly-pear-(east-and-west)-iba-anguilla-(to-uk) on 23/11/2024.