Cierva Point and offshore islands Important Bird Area

Location of Danco Coast on Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula.

The IBA is an important breeding site for south polar skuas

The Cierva Point and offshore islands Important Bird Area is a 6540 ha tract of land and sea on the Danco Coast of the Antarctic Peninsula.

Description

The Important Bird Area (IBA) lies 50 km to the east of Brabant Island, with Cierva Point forming both the northwest extremity of Sladun Peninsula and the south side of the entrance to Cierva Cove. The IBA is defined by the same boundary as Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA 134) which includes Cierva Point, Midas Island, Sterneck Island, Moss Islands and other offshore islands as well as the intervening sea and intertidal zone. At Cierva Point the south-facing slopes are glaciated, whilst the north- and west-facing slopes are ice-free. The land rises to over 500 m at the coastal cliffs. The Argentine Primavera Station lies close to the IBA boundary on the northern tip of Cierva Point.^[1]

Flora and fauna

The site was designated an ASPA for the great scientific value of its unusual biodiversity, including many species of plants, birds, and invertebrates. The unique topography, with the abundance and diversity of the vegetation, have created favourable conditions for the formation of numerous microhabitats.^[2] The extensive coastal vegetation includes lichens, mosses and grasses, with Antarctic hairgrass and Antarctic pearlwort. The mineral soils contain cyanobacteria and diatoms. Terrestrial arthropods and non-marine microalgae are abundant.^[1]

Birds

The site has been identified as an IBA by BirdLife International because it supports about 500 breeding pairs of south polar skuas. Other birds recorded as nesting there include imperial shags, southern giant petrels, chinstrap and gentoo penguins, Wilson's storm petrels, Cape petrels, snow petrels, kelp gulls, Antarctic terns and snowy sheathbills.^[1]

References

1 2 3 "Cierva Point and offshore islands". BirdLife data zone: Important Bird Areas. BirdLife International. 2012. Archived from the original on 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
↑ "Cierva Point and offshore islands, Danco Coast, Antarctic Peninsula" (PDF). Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 134: Measure 1, Annex D. Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. 2006. Retrieved 2013-09-10.

Antarctic Specially Protected Areas

Queen Elizabeth Land	Davis Valley Forlidas Pond

Queen Maud Land	Dakshin Gangotri Glacier Svarthamaren Mountain Yukidori Valley

Mac. Robertson Land	Murray Monolith Rookery Islands Scullin Monolith Taylor Rookery

Princess Elizabeth Land	Amanda Bay Hawker Island Mount Harding Mule Peninsula

Queen Mary Land	Haswell Island

Wilkes Land	Ardery Island Bailey Peninsula Charlton Island Clark Peninsula Dewart Island Frazier Islands Nelly Island Odbert Island

Adélie Land	Bernard Island Bon Docteur Nunatak Carrel Island Géologie Archipelago Lamarck Island Port Martin Rostand Island

George V Land	Mawson's Huts

Victoria Land	Balham Valley Barwick Valley Canada Glacier Cape Adare Cape Geology Cape Hallett Linnaeus Terrace Mount Melbourne Seabee Hook

Ross Sea	Arrival Heights Backdoor Bay Beaufort Island Cape Crozier Cape Evans Cape Royds Hut Point Peninsula Lewis Bay New College Valley North-west White Island Sabrina Island Tramway Ridge

Palmer Land	Ablation Lake Ablation Point Ablation Point – Ganymede Heights Ablation Valley Erratic Valley Flatiron Valley Ganymede Heights Himalia Ridge Marion Nunataks Mount Martine Mount Monique Moutonnée Lake Striation Valley

Graham Land	Apéndice Island Avian Island Biscoe Point Bransfield Strait Cierva Point Dion Islands Eastern Dallmann Bay Green Island Lagotellerie Island Litchfield Island Midas Island Moss Islands Mount Flora Rothera Point South Bay

South Shetlands	Admiralty Bay Ardley Island Byers Peninsula Cape Shirreff Collins Point Coppermine Peninsula Crater Lake Deception Island Discovery Bay Fildes Peninsula Halfthree Point Harmony Point Kroner Lake Lions Rump Mount Pond Narębski Point Pendulum Cove Port Foster Potter Peninsula Ronald Hill San Telmo Island South East Point Stonethrow Ridge Suffield Point Telefon Bay

South Orkneys	Christoffersen Island Coronation Island Fredriksen Island Grey Island Lynch Island Michelsen Island Moe Island Southern Powell Island

Important Bird Areas of Antarctica

Graham Land	Apéndice Island Armstrong Reef Arthur Harbour Avian Island Bates Island Breaker Island Brown Bluff Cape Evensen Cape Wollaston Cierva Point Cockburn Island Cormorant Island Cuverville Island D'Urville Monument Danger Islands Devil Island Dion Islands Dream Island Duroch Islands Eden Rocks Elephant Rocks Gerlache Island Ginger Islands Gourdin Island Guépratte Island Hope Bay Humble Island Joubin Islands Litchfield Island Madder Cliffs Midas Island Moss Islands Murray Island Norsel Point Paulet Island Pearl Rocks Penguin Point Petermann Island Pursuit Point Snow Hill Island Stonington Island Torgersen Island Trinity Island Tupinier Islands Uruguay Island

South Shetlands	Admiralty Bay Ardley Island Aspland Island Baily Head Barnard Point Byers Peninsula Cape Bowles Cape Garry Cape Hooker Cape Lookout Cape Melville Cape Shirreff Cape Wallace Chinstrap Cove Davey Point Eadie Island East of Nelly Point Escarpada Point False Round Point Fur Seal Point Gibbs Island Half Moon Island Harmony Point Heywood Island Jameson Point Kellick Island Lions Rump Milosz Point Mount Elder North Foreland O'Brien Island Owen Island Penguin Island Point Wordie Potter Peninsula Pottinger Point Saddleback Point Seal Islands Stigant Point Stinker Point Tartar Island Vapour Col Yankee Harbour

South Orkneys	Atriceps Island Buchanan Point Cape Davidson Cape Geddes Cape Hansen Cape Robertson Cape Whitson Cheal Point Christoffersen Island Eillium Island Ferguslie Peninsula Ferrier Peninsula Fraser Point Fredriksen Island Gibbon Bay Gosling Islands Graptolite Island Grey Island Inaccessible Islands Larsen Islands Matthews Island Michelsen Island Moe Island Moreton Point Pirie Peninsula Point Martin Return Point Robertson Islands Signy Island Skilling Island Southern Powell Island Watson Peninsula

Coordinates: 64°10′S 61°01′W / 64.167°S 61.017°W / -64.167; -61.017

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