Central NSW Mallee (23836)
Australia, Australasia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b, A1d
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Central NSW Mallee
Central coordinates: Latitude: -32.8292, Longitude: 145.7048
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 135 to 245
Area of KBA (km2): 2529.77809
Protected area coverage (%): 98.78
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This IBA contains the largest remnant of mallee in central New South Wales, between Cobar and Griffith. It comprises the Round Hill, Nombinnie and Yathong Nature Reserves and, outside of these reserves, the boundaries of large mallee remnants as visible from Google Earth and vegetation mapping. It stretches from Lake Cargelligo in the south-east towards Cobar in the north and west to Baden Park and Ivanhoe; and is geographically isolated from other significant mallee remnants on the Victoria and South Australia borders. The IBA has a diversity of landscape and habitat including hills, rolling downs and lowlands, plains and dunefields, dominated by mallee woodland. Other dominant trees include white cypress pine (Callitris glaucophylla), bimble box (Eucalyptus populnea), black box (E. largiflorens) and belah (Casuarina cristata). Yathong NR contains most of the Merrimerriwa Range, rising to 200 m above the plains, and stony with some cliff faces near the top. The three nature reserves have previously been grazed and the remainder of the IBA continues to be grazed; much of the surrounding land is cleared for dryland wheat. The habitat is susceptible to wild-fire; much of the area in the west was last burned in mid-1970s, with smaller areas burned in the mid-1980s.
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: This IBA is the centre of distribution in New South Wales for other mallee species including Striated Grasswren, Shy Heathwren, Southern Scrub-robin and Chestnut Quail-thrush. The Striated Grasswren is an isolated population which has probably not been linked to other populations for a considerable time; it occurs in low numbers in the northern parts of the IBA; a small proportion occurs in Yathong NR but never recorded within Nombinnie or Round Hill Nature Reserves. Shy Heathwren Hylacola cautus macrorhynchus occurs throughout the mallee areas of the IBA (M. Todd in litt. 2007); it is likely that territories are not larger than 50 hectares, in which case there could be over 12,000 pairs in the IBA, which is the vast majority of this subspecies. Southern Scrub-robin occurs throughout the mallee areas of the IBA. Chestnut Quail-thrush occurs throughout the mallee areas of the IBA albeit at a probably lower density to that of the Heathwren and the Scrub-robin. Gilbert's Whistler occurs in other communities as well as the mallee. Major Mitchell's Cockatoo is often recorded within the IBA although they prefer the Bimble Box/ Callitris vegetation communities. Other species listed as threatened in NSW include Grey Falcon (occasional records), Pied Honeyeater (tens of birds occur at 2-3 year intervals) and reasonable numbers of Hooded Robin, Speckled Warbler and Grey-crowned Babbler (D. Egan in litt. 2008). Other notable records include single records of the vulnerable Painted Honeyeater and near threatened Diamond Firetail and 20 records of the biome-restricted Black Honeyeater in 269 Atlas of Australian Birds surveys undertaken from 1998 and 2008 (Atlas of Australian Birds database). Non-bird biodiversity: Mammals include Ningaui (Ningaui yvonneae) and Kultarr (Antechinomys laniger).
Other site values: Mostly privately owned, with some reserves. Contact the Cobar office of the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service on 02 6836 2692 (Ranger Steen Gyrn; steen.gyrn@environment.nsw.gov.au).
Habitats
Land use: forestry (5%) | nature conservation and research (33%) | rangeland/pastureland (62%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 14 | |
| Shrubland | 86 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Create compensation opportunities for private land-owners to stop grazing goats in unprotected mallee. Control feral goats. Adequately resource and implement the fire management policy across the nature reserves and, if possible, the whole IBA.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Agro-industry grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression | Increase in fire frequency/intensity | Ongoing |
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Named species | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Brickhill J. (1985) An aerial survey of nests of Malleefowl Leipoa ocellata Gould (Megapodidae) in Central New South Wales. Australian Wildlife Research 12: 257-261. NSW NPWS (1996) Yathong Nature Reserve, Nombinnie Nature Reserve and Round Hill Nature Reserve Plan of Management. Sydney: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. NSW NPWS (2003) Fire Management Plan Yathong, Nombinnie and Round Hill Nature Reserves. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Riverina Division.
Contributors: The nomination was prepared by Michael Todd and John Brickhill and reviewed by David Egan (NPWS).