Pelagic Important Bird Areas

Effective seabird conservation requires management of key locations for nesting, foraging, and migration. The identification of critical marine bird colonies and pelagic concentration areas has a varied history with many definitions applied. Important Bird Areas (IBAs) are based on an established program that uses standardized criteria to identify essential habitats, which are areas that hold a significant proportion of the population of one or more bird species. BirdLife International, in partnership with the National Audubon Society, developed standardized criteria defining Important Bird Areas, establishing a global “currency” for bird conservation. To qualify as a globally significant IBA, a proposed site must hold a significant number of a globally threatened species, or a significant percentage of a global population, as evidenced by documented, repeated observation of substantial congregations in an area. For full details on the methods used, please see our IBA report.This file has been updated to take into account additional species of significance within each IBA: for example, an IBA nominated at the global level for one species, but encompassing populations of continental or state importance for other species.This file represents individual colony locations.