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The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any state, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

contributions

New York Seascape

Proportion of the area of the contribution comprising Key Biodiversity Areas: 0.1%

Octopod (Graneledone verrucosa) seen while diving in Hudson Canyon.
© NOAA Ocean Exploration, 2021 ROV Shakedown
Dolphinfish or mahi mahi
© Keith Ellenbogen
Bottlenose dolphin. Image taken under NMFS MMPA/ESA Permit no. 18786-04.
© WCS/Ocean Giants
Humpback whale. Image taken under NMFS MMPA/ESA Permit no. 18786-04.
© WCS/Ocean Giants
Blue shark
© Keith Ellenbogen
Short fin mako shark
© Keith Ellenbogen

The waters that lap the shores of New York and New Jersey support an ecological treasure trove of marine wildlife, from globally significant populations of threatened whales, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks and rays, to hundreds of other marine fishes, birds, invertebrates and deep sea corals. This 25,000 mi2 patch of ocean from Montauk, NY, to Cape May, NJ, also encompasses an extraordinary array of highly productive estuaries, tidal rivers, nearshore migration corridors, a sandy continental shelf, soaring seamounts, and massive deep-sea canyons. The Hudson Canyon—by far the largest submarine canyon along the U.S. Atlantic Coast and a hotbed of diversity—begins just 80 miles from the Statue of Liberty. It is this rich array of habitats, coupled with the largest seasonal fluctuations in ocean temperature in the world, that account for this astounding—yet largely under appreciated—stronghold of marine biodiversity, hidden beneath the waves and just a stone’s throw from New York City.

Potential conservation benefits in saving biodiversity

Potential reduction of species extinction risk resulting from threat abatement actions

Absolute value (STAR)

2.3

0% of the total biodiversity conservation potential of United States of America is covered by this project.

31,794.1

5.8% of The Americas's biodiversity conservation potential is from United States of America.

543,527.6

45.4% of global biodiversity conservation potential is from The Americas.

The chart below represents the relative disaggregation of the selected contribution's total potential opportunity for reducing global species extinction risk through taking actions to abate different threats to species within its boundaries. The percentages refer to the amount of the total opportunity that could potentially be achieved through abating that particular threat.