Henderson Island

Henderson Island
Photo by Roman Bruehwiler.

Henderson Island is an isolated uplifted coral atoll known for its bird life.

The island is part of the Pitcairn Islands and lies in the South Pacific Ocean. The landscape consists of limestone cliffs, sandy beaches and forests. Due to a shortage of fresh water, it is not well-suited for human occupation. It has large breeding seabird colonies and all four land bird species are endemic to the island, including the flightless Henderson Crake.

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Map of Henderson Island

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Site Info

Full Name
Henderson Island
Unesco ID
487
Country
United Kingdom
Inscribed
1988
Type
Natural
Criteria
7 10
Categories
Natural landscape - Insular
Link
By ID

Site History

1988 Inscribed

Site Links

Unesco Website
Henderson Island
Official Website

Henderson on Visit Pitcairn

Related

Visit to Henderson Island June, 1997

In the News

This Pacific island is the most plastic-polluted place on Earth (2018.04.22)

Henderson Island has more plastic rubbish than anywhere else (2017.05.16)

Campaigners hail bid to remove rats from Henderson (2011.12.20)

Locations

The site has 1 locations

Henderson Island

Connections

The site has

Damaged
'Threatened' by Infestation of Rats
Ecology
Endemic Bird Species: Henderson Crake, Fruit Dove, Lorikeet, Warblber
Coral
Lagoons
Turtles and tortoises: Green turtles occasionally nest on the east beach (UNEP-WCMC)
Whales: humpback whale
Significant Karst Features: An outstanding example of early phase of karstification with intact natural processes, (AB ev)
Geography
Dependent territories: Henderson is one of The Pitcairn Islands (officially the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands) that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean.
Pacific Ocean
Uninhabited islands: "The island was settled by Polynesians – possibly as early as 800 AD – but by the 1600s it had been abandoned." (wiki) There is currently no on-site management (AB ev)
Isolated WHS: 1914 kms from Rapa Nui
Polynesia
Formerly inhabited islands: has archaeological remains of Polynesian settlement plus the occasional shipwrecked sailors/castaways!
Atoll: Raised Coral atoll
History
Castaways or shipwrecked mariners: The crew of the whaleship Essex, "wandering the ocean in open boats after the Essex had sunk following a collision with a sperm whale, landed briefly on the island, staying from December 20 to December 27, 1820. Three of the crew stayed and survived until their subsequent rescue on April 9, 1821 while their companions sailed for South America". (Wiki)
Timeline
Early Pleistocene: Durch weitere vulkanische Aktivitäten, die vor 900.000 Jahren zum Entstehen der Insel Pitcairn geführt haben, erfolgte eine Verformung der Erdkruste derart, dass das Henderson-Atoll noch weiter über die Meeresoberfläche angehoben wurde. (Wiki)
Visiting conditions
Takes more than 5 days to visit: The shortest cruise calling on this Island takes 25 days; it fortunately also stops at Easter Island (a 2nd WHS within 25 days)
One thousand visitors or fewer: DD : “Tourist numbers are very limited” (IUCN Outlook 2020) At nearby Pitcairn island “ approximately 800-1,000 passengers set foot on the island annually” http://www.pitcairn.pn/Pitcairn%20Islands%20Economic%20Report%20-%20Final%20Report.pdf
WHS Names
Named after individual people: British Capt. Henderson of the British East India Company ship Hercules, who re-discovered the island in 1819
WHS on Other Lists
Biodiversity hotspot: Polynesia-Micronesia
Alliance for Zero Extinction: Pterodroma atrata (Henderson Petrel)
UN list of Non-Self-Governing Territories: Pitcairn - UK
Located in a TCC Territory: Pitcairn Island
Plant WHS not in a CPD: "While the flora is also typically poor with some 57 native vascular species recorded, these include six endemic species, three endemic varieties and another species endemic to Henderson and Pitcairn." (OUV)

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The Plaque

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