Shag Reef (Bass Strait) (23961)
Australia, Australasia

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: D1a

Year of last assessment: 2009

National site name: Shag Reef (Bass Strait)

Central coordinates: Latitude: -39.6722, Longitude: 147.9953

System: marine, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 0 to 5

Area of KBA (km²): 0.00989

Protected area coverage (%): 100.00

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Shag Reef is a small reef between Inner and Outer Sister Islands, which lie north of Flinders Island in Bass Strait. Shag Reef is a low, boulder-strewn, elongate granite reef, oriented east-west with very little vegetation, mostly succulents in rock crevices. It is mostly wave-washed. Inner and Outer Sister Islands, not included in the IBA, are designated as Conservation Areas but have small numbers of seabirds, except for about 65,000 burrows of Short-tailed Shearwater.

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: Brothers et al. (2001) also recorded small numbers of Pacific Gull (three pairs), Silver Gull (one pair), Sooty Oystercatcher (three pairs), Caspian Tern (one pair) and Australian Pelican (one individual). Non-bird biodiversity: None.

Other site values: Tasmanian State Government. Permission to visit should be obtained from the Department of Primary Industries and Water.

Habitats

Land use: not utilised (100%)

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	100

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Upgrade status to Conservation Area. Regulate use of gill nets.

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Biological resource use	Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources	Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest]	Ongoing
Climate change & severe weather	Storms & flooding		Only in the future

Additional information

References: Brothers, N., Pemberton, D., Pryor, H. and Halley, V. (2001) Tasmania's Offshore Islands: seabirds and other natural features. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery: Hobart. Skira, I.J., Brothers, N.P. and Pemberton, D.(1996) Distribution, abundance and conservation status of Short-tailed Shearwaters Puffinus tenuirostris in Tasmania, Australia. Marine Ornithology 24: 1-14.