Antarctica
Antarctica, one of the world’s eight major biogeographical realms, is made up almost entirely of one single bioregion -- the ice-covered land mass, coastal tundra, and sea ice of the main continent -- which is nearly twice the size of Australia. It also contains three additional marine bioregions -- the Antarctic Peninsula & Scotia Sea, Subantarctic Indian Ocean Islands, and Subantarctic Antipodes Islands. Most of the Antarctica Continent is too inhospitable for many species to survive, but it does contain some coastal tundra. The Antarctic Peninsula bioregion extending towards South America and including the Scotia sea islands, shelters an abundance of wildlife – an array of seals, whales, and nine species of penguin. Both the Subantarctic Indian Ocean Islands, located in the very south of the Indian Ocean, as well as the small group of Subantarctic Antipodes Islands just below New Zealand are critically important as resting and breeding areas for millions of seabirds and thousands of marine mammals.
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Subantarctic Antipodes Islands (AN4)
Total Land Area (1000 ha): 88 Number of Ecoregions: 1 Protection Target: 100% Protection Level: 10The Antipodes bioregion lies just below New Zealand. A group of rocky, volcanic islands dominated by one tundra ecoregion, this bioregion is an important breeding site for an array of birds.
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Subantarctic Indian Ocean Islands (AN3)
Total Land Area (1000 ha): N/A Number of Ecoregions: 1 Protection Target: N/A Protection Level : N/AThe Subantarctic Indian Ocean bioregion consists of a chain of four island groupings in the South Indian Ocean, about halfway between the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and the Antarctic mainland.
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Antarctic Peninsula & Scotia Sea (AN2)
Total Land Area (1000 ha): N/A Number of Ecoregions: 2 Protection Target: N/A Protection Level: N/AThe Antarctic Peninsula bioregion protrudes 1,300 km from West Antarctica towards the Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost tip of South America. The rocky coasts of the peninsula have the mildest climate in Antarctica and are free of snow in the summer months, supporting an abundance of land and marine biodiversity. It contains two ecoregions.
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Continental Antarctica (AN1)
Total Land Area (1000 ha): N/A Number of Ecoregions: 15 Protection Target: N/A Protection level: N/AThe main Antarctica bioregion includes the entirety of the Antarctic continent, with the exception of the Antarctic Peninsula. It consists of ice-covered land, glaciers, and coastal ice sheets but also includes a variety of coastal tundra habitats important for biodiversity and contains 15 ecoregions.
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