Country: Turks and Caicos Islands
Administrative region: Providenciales (Island)
Central co-ordinates: 21.81011 N, 72.31485 W
Area: 34.39km²
Qualifying IPA Criteria
A(i)Site contains one or more globally threatened species, 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 is one of the five best sites in Turks and Caicos for populations of two globally threatened species, thus qualifying it under criterion A(i): Chamaecrista caribaea and Pseudophoenix sargentii, which both occur around Pigeon Pond. The site also meets thresholds for B(iii), by supporting 16 (equal to or greater than 15%) of species from the list of socially, economically or culturally important species. Areas of four threatened habitats found here are also each considered as one of the five best sites in the country, further qualifying this site under C(iii). These habitats are coastal coppice, herbaceous dune, limestone thicket and tropical dry forest.
Site description
This TIPA is situated in the northwest of Providenciales and includes the protected areas of Northwest Point National Park at the extreme north-western point of the site, and also part of Frenchman’s Creek and Pigeon Pond Nature Reserve in the south-western part of the TIPA. Combined, the site supports the second largest contiguous terrestrial protected area in TCI. The western and northern boundaries follow the coastline, whilst the southern boundary delimits the extent of solid ground. It excludes a large area of saline wetland (Pigeon Pond) at the center of the site,
Botanical significance
This site is one of the five best sites for the threatened Buccaneer Palm Pseudophoenix sargentii which is very rare within Turks and Caicos, with the population in this TIPA representing a genetically isolated population from the other small populations found on the other islands. However, this population was significantly reduced following poaching of hundreds of juvenile and mature trees in 2017. This site is also one of the best sites for Popcorn Chamaecrista caribaea, a shrub endemic to the Lucayan archipelago and Tortue in Haiti. There is high botanical richness here, with large numbers of socio-economically important species including many groves of the timber and medicinal tree Lignum vitae Guaiacum sanctum. Rare species including the purple mistletoe Dendropemon purpurea and Maytenus phyllanthoides (recently found here for the first time in TCI) can be found at this site.
Habitat and geology
This TIPA represents the largest extent of undisturbed natural habitats remaining on Providenciales, due to the extensive urbanization of the central and eastern parts of the island. This makes it an important reservoir for biodiversity. The dominant habitat across this site, making up more than 10% of the national resource, is limestone thicket, which forms on limestone sands with organic material on top of fragmented limestone. At Northwest Point, nationally important areas of herbaceous dune and coastal coppice habitats can be found. The diverse range of undisturbed habitats found within this TIPA make it a crucial breeding site for a range of marine and terrestrial animals including turtles, reptiles and birds.
Conservation issues
In general, this area is threatened by development. In particular the north-east coast is zoned for tourism and hospitality and future development is to be expected. A privately owned area of land within Frenchman’s Creek and Pigeon Pond Nature Reserve is threatened by proposals to remove it from the designation, thus reducing the size of the nature reserve. Land clearance for other developments is already known to have taken place. Other threats come from slash and burn practices for charcoal production and also quarrying.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pseudophoenix sargentii | A(i) |  |
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| Chamaecrista caribaea | A(i) | |
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Pseudophoenix sargentii
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:
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:
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal coppice | C(iii) | |
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| Herbaceous dune | C(iii) | |
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| Limestone thicket | C(iii) | |
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| Tropical dry forest | C(iii) | |
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Coastal coppice
Qualifying sub-criterion:
C(iii)
≥ 5% of national resource:
≥ 10% of national resource:
Areal coverage at site:
Herbaceous dune
Qualifying sub-criterion:
C(iii)
≥ 5% of national resource:
≥ 10% of national resource:
Areal coverage at site:
Limestone thicket
Qualifying sub-criterion:
C(iii)
≥ 5% of national resource:
≥ 10% of national resource:
Areal coverage at site:
Tropical dry forest
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 Sand Dunes | |
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| Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry Shrubland | |
Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry Forest
Percent coverage:
Importance:
Marine Coastal/Supratidal - Coastal Sand Dunes
Percent coverage:
Importance:
Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry Shrubland
Percent coverage:
Importance:
Threats
| Threat | Severity | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Residential & commercial development - Tourism & recreation areas | Medium | Future - planned activity |
| Energy production & mining - Mining & quarrying | Medium | Ongoing - stable |
| Energy production & mining - Renewable energy | Medium | Ongoing - stable |
| Residential & commercial development - Tourism & recreation areas | Medium | Ongoing - increasing |
| Climate change & severe weather - Storms & flooding | High | Ongoing - increasing |
Residential & commercial development - Tourism & recreation areas
Severity:
Medium
Timing:
Future - planned activity
Energy production & mining - Mining & quarrying
Severity:
Medium
Timing:
Ongoing - stable
Energy production & mining - Renewable energy
Severity:
Medium
Timing:
Ongoing - stable
Residential & commercial development - Tourism & recreation areas
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: Pigeon Pond and Northwest Point (Turks and Caicos Islands). https://tipas.kew.org/site/pigeon-pond-and-northwest-point/ (Accessed on 01/07/2025)