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Site description (2001 baseline)
The site comprises the main island of Saint Paul and the adjacent islet of La Roche Quille. Saint Paul is triangular in shape and encloses a well-preserved, roughly circular crater open to the sea on its north-eastern side. The crater’s walls and the north-eastern coastline consist of tall cliffs, some of which are over 200 m high. La Roche Quille, situated close to the opening of the caldera, is no more than a large, steep-sided rock covered mostly in herbaceous vegetation. It was, until recently, the only part of the site free of rats, mice and rabbits. There is no human presence on the island.

Key biodiversity
See Box for key species. Some 15 species breed, including a colony of Eudyptes chrysocome moseleyi (c.9,000 pairs), Phoebetria fusca (21 pairs in 1996) and Diomedea chlororynchos (a few pairs). The race macgillivrayi of Pachyptila salvini is endemic to La Roche Quille where only some 100–200 pairs bred in 1996. Given its subtropical location, Saint Paul has a distinct avifauna different from that of the French subantarctic islands. Thus, several species breed which are rare in the region or at these latitudes; Morus serrator (1–3 pairs), Pachyptila turtur (10–20 pairs), Pterodroma macroptera (50 pairs), Puffinus assimilis (25 pairs), P. carneipes (489 pairs), Oceanites oceanicus (10–50 pairs) and Sterna fuscata (one pair). Most species breed only on La Roche Quille. However, rats and rabbits have recently been eradicated from Saint Paul and hence its potential ornithological significance has grown considerably. For instance, there is evidence that Pterodroma macroptera and Pachyptila salvini macgillivrayi have begun recolonizing.

Non-bird biodiversity: A large population of the fur seal Arctocephalus tropicalis (365 pups in 1993) breeds. Four species of insect and three species of vascular plant are endemic to Saint Paul.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Île Saint Paul (French Southern Territories). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/île-saint-paul-iba-french-southern-territories on 23/11/2024.