Hyland Bay and Moyle Floodplain (23426)
Australia, Australasia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: B1, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Hyland Bay and Moyle Floodplain
Central coordinates: Latitude: -14.0562, Longitude: 129.8813
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 10
Area of KBA (km2): 1034.76565
Protected area coverage (%): 19.68
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The IBA consists of the Hyland Bay mudflats to the north of Wadeye (Port Keats) from Tree Point to the flats north of Cape Dombey, and the floodplains of the Moyle and Little Moyle Rivers. The Moyle and Little Moyle floodplains are seasonally inundated sedge and paperbark swamps supporting large numbers of Magpie Geese (Parks & Wildlife 2007) and a mixed waterbird colony in mangroves in an inlet north of the Little Moyle River mouth (waterbird colony ref W004 in Chatto 2000). The mudflats of Hyland Bay are included as they support large numbers of Great Knot.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: A mixed waterbird colony in mangroves in an inlet north of the Little Moyle River regularly supports up to 1000 Pied Herons, and also up to 4000 mixed egrets, 200 Little Pied Cormorants and 300 Rufous Night Herons (Chatto 2000, 2006). Two smaller colonies of Royal Spoonbills and mixed cormorants and darters were recorded on the upper parts of the Moyle Floodplain (Chatto 2006). 7000 birds, mostly Magpie Geese, were recorded on the Little Moyle Floodplain in 1995 (Chatto 2006). Hyland Bay regularly supports >10,000 shorebirds (Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia). Chatto recorded lower numbers which were mostly knot species, probably Great Knots, which probably represents internationally significant numbers (Chatto 2003).
Other site values: Daly River / Port Keats ALT. This IBA is on Traditionally Owned land.
Habitats
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Neritic | 5 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 32 | |
| Forest | 32 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 32 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: More research and monitoring is needed to assess the threats to the site, but the most likely threats are invasion by alien plants including Mimosa pigra and inundation from rising sea-levels.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Named species | Ongoing |
| Climate change & severe weather | Storms & flooding | Only in the future |
Additional information
References: Chatto, R. (2000) Waterbird breeding colonies in the Top End of the Northern Territory. Technical Report 69, Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, Palmerston. Chatto, R. (2003) The distribution and status of shorebirds around the coast and coastal wetlands of the Northern Territory. Technical Report 73, Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, Palmerston. Chatto, R. (2006) The distribution and status of waterbirds around the coast and coastal wetlands of the Northern Territory. Technical Report 76, Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, Palmerston. DEWHA (2008) Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia (Moyle Floodplain and Hyland Bay System - NT027). http://www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/environmental/wetlands/database/ accessed 2008. Harrison, L., McGuire, L., Ward, S. Fisher, A., Pavey, C., Fegan, M. and Lynch, B. (2009) An inventory of sites of international and national significance for biodiversity values in the Northern Territory. Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts & Sport, Darwin, NT. Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory (2007) Management program for the magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata) in the Northern Territory of Australia. Unpublished report: Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, Palmerston. Ward, S. and Harrison, L. (2009) Recognising sites of conservation significance for biodiversity values in the Northern Territory. Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts & Sport, Darwin, NT.