Sombrero Island Nature Reserve Marine Park

View across Sombrero Island showing Old industrial workings associated with past phosphate mining, - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
Pools in craters caused by previous phosphate extraction, Sombrero Island - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
Brown Noddy Anous stolidus on Sombrero Island - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
Endemic Sombrero Island Ground Lizard Ameiva corvina, Sombrero Island - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
Endemic Sombrero Island Ground Lizard Ameiva corvina, Sombrero Island - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
Brown Boobys Sula leucogaster on Sombrero Island - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
Masked Booby Sula dactylatra chick on Sombrero Island - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
Masked Booby Sula dactylatra on Sombrero Island - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
Pair of Masked Boobys Sula dactylatra chick on Sombrero Island - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
Probable Anguilla Anole Anolis gingivinus, Sombrero Island.  However DNA samples from Sombrero in the late 1990s showed Anoles on Sombrero to be quite different to those on Anguilla and St Martin: further samples might indicate endemism.
Note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
View across Sombrero Island showing old industrial workings associated with past phosphate mining, - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
View across Sombrero Island showing vegetation on old industrial workings associated with past phosphate mining, - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus,  Sombrero Island - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
View across Sombrero Island showing vegetation on old industrial workings associated with past phosphate mining, - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
View across Sombrero Island showing vegetation on old industrial workings associated with past phosphate mining, - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
Seabirds on telecommunications mast, Sombrero Island - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
Old industrial equipment associated with past phosphate mining, note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus,  Sombrero Island - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
Sombrero Island - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
Old industrial workings associated with past phosphate mining, Sombrero Island - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
Brown Booby Sula leucogaster on Sombrero Island - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
View across old phosphate mining areas, Sombrero Island - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given
Nest site of Brown Noddy Anous stolidus in shelter of rocks, Sombrero Island - note the date the photo was taken is unknown, not as given

Sombrero Island Nature Reserve Marine Park

  • Country: 
    United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Overseas territories)
  • Site number: 
    2354
  • Area: 
    1,050.7 ha
  • Designation date: 
    22-05-2018
  • Coordinates: 
    18°35'N 63°25'W
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Overview

The Site is a small, uninhabited, flat-topped, rocky oceanic island. It is characterized by karst topography, limestone sea cliffs and sparse vegetation. Historical phosphate mining has left an array of craters and rubble across the island. The island is rich in biodiversity: it supports the endemic critically endangered Sombrero Island ground lizard (Pholidoscelis Corvinus) and the Sombrero Island dwarf gecko (Sphaerodactylus sp.), as well as over 40 endemic species of insects have been recorded. It is also acts as an important breeding site for various seabird species, including internationally or regionally important populations of bridled tern (Onychoprion anaethetus), brown booby (Sula leucogaster), brown noddy (Anous stolidlus) and masked booby (Sula dactylatra). Other breeding birds include sooty tern (Onychoprion fuscata) and laughing gull (Leucophaeus atricilla). The island acts as a refuge during hurricanes and storms, as well as for migrating birds during spring and autumn. The surrounding waters within a 2,000-yard radius are also included in the Ramsar Site; they support areas of coral reef, submerged Sargassum and large seaweed beds, and deeper marine water. They are used for foraging by the Endangered Green turtle (Chelonia mydas). Sombrero Island is currently being used for scientific research and monitoring on fauna and flora recovery and the impacts of climate change, especially following the successful eradication of house mice (Mus musculus) in 2021. Vegetation restoration is ongoing. A management plan has been developed that covers both the Ramsar Site and surrounding Sombrero Island Nature Reserve Marine Park. In addition, the Anguilla National Trust has initiated a public awareness campaign to highlight the unique biodiversity of the island and its cultural connections.

Administrative region: 
Anguilla

  • National legal designation: 
    • Nature Reserve Marine Park - Sombrero Island Nature Reserve Marine Park
  • Last publication date: 
    22-12-2023

Downloads

Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)

Additional reports and documents