Current view: Data table and detailed info
The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation 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:
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.
IBA conservation assessment |
Year of assessment |
State |
Pressure |
Response |
2015 |
good |
medium |
very low |
Whole site assessed? |
State assessed by |
Accuracy of information |
|
yes |
population |
good |
|
Habitat |
% of IBA |
Habitat detail |
Marine Intertidal |
major (>10) |
|
Marine Neritic |
major (>10) |
|
Shrubland |
major (>10) |
Arid lowland scrub |
Marine Coastal/Supratidal |
minor (<10) |
|
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.
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 23/12/2024.