Abrolhos Bank IMMA
Size in Square Kilometres
60 378 km2
Qualifying Species and Criteria
Humpback Whale – Megaptera novaeangliae
Criterion B(2); C (1)
Guiana Dolphin – Sotalia guianensis
Criterion B (1); D (1)
Marine Mammal Diversity
Criterion D (2)
Megaptera novaeangliae, Sotalia guianensis, Pontoporia blainvillei, Eubalaena australis, Steno bredanensis, Tursiops truncatus truncatus, Balaenoptera edeni, Balaenoptera acutorostrata, Balaenoptera bonaerensis, Pseudorca crassidens, Feresa attenuata, Peponocephala electra, Grampus griseus, Stenella frontalis, Stenella attenuata, Stenella longirostris
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Summary
Located in North-eastern Brazil, the Abrolhos and Royal Charlotte Banks comprise the largest coral reef environment in the South Atlantic, with associated coastal mangrove forests and estuaries. Its shallow (mostly less than 50 m) waters harbour between June and November the largest breeding and calving aggregation of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Western South Atlantic, as well as the only known offshore population of Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis). At least 16 cetacean species occur in the Bank, including Southern Right whales (Eubalaena australis), Rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) and three species of the oceanic dolphin genus Stenella (S. attenuata, S. frontalis and S. longirostris).
Description of Qualifying Criteria
Criterion B: Distribution and Abundance
Sub-criterion B1: Small and Resident Populations
The area fulfils sub-criterion B1 due to the presence of a resident populations of Guiana dolphins (Rossi-Santos et al., 2006; Rossi-Santos et al., 2007). The population of Guiana dolphins in the Caravelas River estuary, eastern Brazil, was systematically monitored through a long-term mark-recapture study (2002–2021). Abundance estimates revealed a small population (57–124 dolphins), which include a portion of long-term residents (Cantor et al., 2012). For other areas of the IMMA there is less information about the size of the population.
Sub-criterion B2: Aggregations
The IMMA fulfils sub-criterion B2 as the main breeding ground of the Humpback Whale in the Western South Atlantic (Andriolo et al., 2010; Martins et al., 2013). The last abundance estimate of humpback whales within the Abrolhos Bank, from a distance sampling aerial survey conducted in 2019, was 9,206 whales (CI95% = 5.135 – 16.505; CV% = 29,3), which correspond to 63% of the total abundance estimated for the Brazilian coast.
Criterion C: Key Life Cycle Activities
Sub-criterion C1: Reproductive Areas
The sub-criterion C1 is applied as the IMMA is important breeding and calving grounds for Humpback whales. The warm waters and wide extension of shallow habitats, with the presence of coral reefs and an archipelago constitutes typical breeding habitats of the species. The whales are present between July and November. Morete et al. (2008) describe temporal changes in the relative abundance of humpback whales around Abrolhos archipelago, over seven years (1998–2004). Whale count data were collected during July through to November and during one-hour-scans, observers determined group size within 9.3 km (5 n.m.) of a land-based observing station. A total of 930 scans, generated 7996 sightings of adults and 2044 calves. Competitive groups are also abundant in Abrolhos Bank (Martins et al., 2001), as well as intense male singing activity (Sousa-Lima & Clark, 2008).
Criterion D: Special Attributes
Sub-criterion D1: Distinctiveness
Guiana dolphins, a habitat specialist of estuarine and coastal environments (Lobo et al., 2021), have their only known offshore population in the Abrolhos Bank IMMA. Guiana dolphins are found living more than 70 kilometers from the coast in a coral reef environment (Borobia et al., 1991; Rossi-Santos et al. 2006).
Sub-criterion D2: Diversity
The area fulfils sub-criterion D2 as the habitat is regularly used by at least 16 cetacean species (Andriolo et al, 2010; Danilewicz et al., 2013; IBJ, 2012; Moreno et al., 2003; Nara et al., 2022; Rossi-Santos et al., 2006; Wedekin et al., 2009).
Supporting Information
Andriolo, A.; Kinas, P.G.; Engel, M.H.; Martins, C.C.A.; Rufino, A.M. 2010. Humpback whales within the Brazilian breeding ground: distribution and population size estimate. Endangered Species Research 11: 233–243
Bezamat, C.; Wedekin, L.L. & Simões-Lopes, P.C. 2015.Potential ship strikes and density of humpback whales in the Abrolhos Bank breeding ground, Brazil. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 25, 712-725
Bornatowsky, H.; Wedekin, L.L.; Heithaus, M.R.; Marcondes, M.C.C. & Rossi-Santos, M.R. 2012. Shark scavenging and predation on cetaceans at Abrolhos Bank, eastern Brazil. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 92(8), 1767-1772
Borobia, M., Siciliano, S., Lodi, L.F. & Hoek, W. 1991. Distribution of the South-American dolphin Sotalia fluviatilis. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 69, 1025–1039
Brasil. Ministério do Meio Ambiente. 2022. Portaria MMA 148 de 07 de junho de 2022.
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