Country: Turks-Caicos Is.
Administrative region: North Caicos (Island)
Central co-ordinates: 21.91431 N, 72.00806 W
Area: 11.86km²
Qualifying IPA Criteria
A(i)Site contains one or more globally threatened species, B(ii)Site contains an exceptional number of species of high conservation importance, B(iii)Site contains an exceptional number of socially, economically or culturally valuable species, C(iii)Site contains nationally threatened or restricted habitat or vegetation types, AND/OR habitats that have severely declined in extent nationally
IPA assessment rationale
This site qualifies as a TIPA under criterion A(i) as it supports the only known site in Turks and Caicos for the threatened terrestrial orchid Ponthieva brittoniae and is thus inferred to support more than 5% of the national population of this species. The entire population in TCI of the grass Sporobolus bahamensis can also be found in this TIPA. The site also has high botanical richness, with eight species from the list of species of high conservation importance occurring here, meeting the threshold for criterion B(ii), and 19 species from the list of species of social, cultural or economic value, meeting the threshold for criterion B(iii). Additionally, this site qualifies under C(iii) as it is one of the five best sites for the Ironshore, Palustrine Swamp and Tropical Dry Forest habitats.
Site description
This TIPA is situated in the north-west of North Caicos and spans from Bellefield Landing at its western extent, across to the southern end of Flamingo Pond, encompassing the Wades Green area and the surrounding areas of Kew Settlement.
Botanical significance
This site contains a number of rare and threatened species. The globally Vulnerable but ephemeral orchid Lady Britton’s Shadow witch (Ponthieva brittoniae) is known only in Turks and Caicos from this TIPA, where it has a small population of around 200 individuals in the Wades Green and Teren Hill area. There are also at least two populations of the endemic and threatened herb Stenandrium carolinae found at this site, one along the road between Kew Settlement and Bellefield landing and another along a field road between Kew and Flamingo Pond. The Bahamian endemic grass Sporobolus bahamensis has also only been recorded from this TIPA in Turks and Caicos, where it is known to grow around the government farm. The presence of freshwater habitat in this TIPA also means aquatic plant species which are generally rare in TCI such as Echinodorus berteroi, can thrive.
Habitat and geology
This site is largely a mosaic of scrub, tropical dry forest and palustrine swamp habitats, being one of the five best sites in Turks and Caicos for the latter two habitats. Some of the trees in the tropical dry forests are unusually tall for TCI. Additionally, at Bellefield landing can be found one of the best sites for Ironshore habitat.
Conservation issues
There is a lot of development pressure at this site, particularly around Bellefield Landing. Additionally coppicing of the large trees in the tropical dry forests for charcoal production is an issue. There is a risk of this, and also land clearance for agriculture, expanding should there be increases in the North Caicos population.
Site assessor(s)
Assessed by:
Bryan Naqqi Manco, Department for Environment and Coastal Resources, Turks and Caicos Government
Junel Blaise, Department for Environment and Coastal Resources, Turks and Caicos Government
Dodly Propser, Department for Environment and Coastal Resources, Turks and Caicos Government
Amy Barker, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Sara Bárrios, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Elloise Budd, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Stuart Cable, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Colin Clubbe, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Marcella Corcoran, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Thomas Heller, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Juan Viruel, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Tim Wilkinson, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Date of first assessment: 14th Feb 2025
IPA criterion A species
| Species | Qualifying sub-criterion | ≥ 1% of global population | ≥ 5% of national population | 1 of 5 best sites nationally | Entire global population | Socio-economically important | Abundance at site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamaecrista caribaea | A(i) |  |
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| Ponthieva brittoniae | A(i) | |
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| Sporobolus bahamensis | A(i) | |
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| Stenandrium carolinae | A(i) | |
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Chamaecrista caribaea
Qualifying sub-criterion:
A(i)
≥ 1% of global population:
≥ 5% of national population:
1 of 5 best sites nationally:
Entire global population:
Socio-economically important:
Abundance at site:
Ponthieva brittoniae
Qualifying sub-criterion:
A(i)
≥ 1% of global population:
≥ 5% of national population:
1 of 5 best sites nationally:
Entire global population:
Socio-economically important:
Abundance at site:
Sporobolus bahamensis
Qualifying sub-criterion:
A(i)
≥ 1% of global population:
≥ 5% of national population:
1 of 5 best sites nationally:
Entire global population:
Socio-economically important:
Abundance at site:
Stenandrium carolinae
Qualifying sub-criterion:
A(i)
≥ 1% of global population:
≥ 5% of national population:
1 of 5 best sites nationally:
Entire global population:
Socio-economically important:
Abundance at site:
IPA criterion C qualifying habitats
| Habitat | Qualifying sub-criterion | ≥ 5% of national resource | ≥ 10% of national resource | 1 of 5 best sites nationally | Areal coverage at site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical dry forest | C(iii) | |
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| Ironshore | C(iii) | |
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Tropical dry forest
Qualifying sub-criterion:
C(iii)
≥ 5% of national resource:
≥ 10% of national resource:
Areal coverage at site:
Ironshore
Qualifying sub-criterion:
C(iii)
≥ 5% of national resource:
≥ 10% of national resource:
Areal coverage at site:
General site habitats
| General site habitat | Percent coverage | Importance |
|---|---|---|
| Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry Forest | |
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| Marine Coastal/Supratidal - Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes | |
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| Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry Shrubland | |
Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry Forest
Percent coverage:
Importance:
Marine Coastal/Supratidal - Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes
Percent coverage:
Importance:
Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry Shrubland
Percent coverage:
Importance:
Threats
| Threat | Severity | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Residential & commercial development - Housing & urban areas | High | Ongoing - increasing |
| Biological resource use - Logging & wood harvesting | Medium | Ongoing - increasing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture - Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Small-holder farming | Medium | Ongoing - increasing |
| Climate change & severe weather - Storms & flooding | High | Ongoing - increasing |
Residential & commercial development - Housing & urban areas
Severity:
High
Timing:
Ongoing - increasing
Biological resource use - Logging & wood harvesting
Severity:
Medium
Timing:
Ongoing - increasing
Agriculture & aquaculture - Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Small-holder farming
Severity:
Medium
Timing:
Ongoing - increasing
Climate change & severe weather - Storms & flooding
Severity:
High
Timing:
Ongoing - increasing
Recommended citation
Bryan Naqqi Manco, Junel Blaise, Dodly Propser, Amy Barker, Sara Bárrios, Elloise Budd, Stuart Cable, Colin Clubbe, Marcella Corcoran, Thomas Heller, Juan Viruel, Tim Wilkinson (2025) Tropical Important Plant Areas Explorer: North Caicos Oakbottom (Turks-Caicos Is.). https://tipas.kew.org/site/north-caicos-oakbottom/ (Accessed on 20/06/2025)