Macquarie Marshes (24446)
Australia, Australasia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: B1, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Macquarie Marshes
Central coordinates: Latitude: -30.9320, Longitude: 147.6290
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 130 to 190
Area of KBA (km2): 2426.4695
Protected area coverage (%): 9.38
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The IBA is the maximum extent of the recent (1990) flood of the Macquarie Marshes, which lie on the Macquarie River in northern New South Wales. This over-estimates the area flooded in most recent years but could be achieved with adequate water allocations. The IBA includes the main channel of the Macquarie River and the anastomosing channels of Bora Channel, Buckiinguy Creek, Bulgeraga Creek, Gum Cowal, Marra Creek, Marthaguy Creek, Monkey Creek, Monkeygar Creek, Terrigal Creek. Daily temperatures in the region vary from about 4°C in July to about 36°C in January, and average annual rainfall is 300-400 mm. The area of the marshes varies depending on the degree of inundation, with a recent maximum of about 131,000 ha in 1990, much lower than the historical maximum of 478,000 ha over the same area in the mid-1950s. In recent years, flooding has been much less frequent and less extensive, with just one major flooding event in 2000/1. The marshes are a freshwater system of channels and streams, some of which have been rendered permanent following construction of water regulation devices, and semi-permanent and ephemeral swamps and floodplains. The marshes support a variety of vegetation types, but the more prominent communities include River Red Gum forest and woodland, extensive beds of Common Reed, and meadows of Water Couch.
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 minimum 206 species of bird have been recorded in the Macquarie Marshes (NSW NPWS 2007). This figure includes more than 60 species of waterbird, at least 43 of which breed in the marshes (Brooker 1992; Brock 1997; Brookhouse 1999). The marshes are predicted to support over 190,000 waterbirds during major floods (Kingsford et al. 1997), including large numbers of breeding birds. For example, in 2000, there were breeding colonies of Glossy Ibis (3900 nests), Straw-necked Ibis (31,225 nests), Intermediate Egret (20,200 nests), Nankeen Night-Heron (15,500 nests), Great Egret (1300 pairs), Australian White Ibis (2940 nests), Little Egret (100 nests) and Royal Spoonbill (76 nests) (Kingsford & Auld 2002). There have not been any prolific waterbird nesting events in the IBA since 2000-2001. The marshes have supported large numbers of waterfowl, e.g. 60,000 waterfowl were counted on the northern quarter of the marshes by Kingsford (1996), 3500 Pacific Black Duck were counted on the marshes in 1997 (Kingsford et al. 1997) and 5652 Caspian Tern in 1983 (Kingsford and Porter (2006)). Other notable species which have been recorded in the IBA include Australian Little Bittern, Australian Painted Snipe, Superb Parrot, Painted Honeyeater, Pied Honeyeater and Diamond Firetail (Atlas of Australian Birds database). Non-bird biodiversity: At least eight native and six introduced species of mammal in the Macquarie Marshes, together with 56 species of reptile, 15 species of frog and 16 species of freshwater fish (Brock 1997).
Other site values: Private and state government (New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service).
Habitats
Land use: nature conservation and research (10%) | rangeland/pastureland (90%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 100 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Ensure adequate environmental water flows are allocated to sustain breeding waterbirds.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use | Abstraction of surface water (agricultural use) | Ongoing |
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Problematic native species/diseases | Unspecified species | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents | Type Unknown/Unrecorded | 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 |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Agro-industry grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Intentional use: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Residential & commercial development | Housing & urban areas | Ongoing | |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Ongoing | |
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Ongoing | |
| Climate change & severe weather | Droughts | Ongoing | |
| Climate change & severe weather | Storms & flooding | Ongoing | |
| Climate change & severe weather | Other impacts | Ongoing | |
| Energy production & mining | Oil & gas drilling | Only in the future |
Additional information
References: Brock, P. (Ed.) (1997) Macquarie Marshes Land and Water Management Plan. Macquarie Marshes Management Committee: Dubbo. Brooker, M. G. (1992) Waterbirds of the Macquarie Marshes. Unpublished report to New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service: Hurstville. Brock, P. (ed.) (1997) Macquarie Marshes Land and Water Management Plan. Macquarie Marshes Management Committee, Dubbo. Brooker, M.G. (1992) Waterbirds of Macquarie Marshes. Unpublished report to New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, Hurstville. Brookhouse, P. (1999) Macquarie Marshes Nature Reserve Fire Management Plan 2000-2004. New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, Hurstville. Kingsford, R. and Auld, K. (2002) Unpublished data in Morris, A.K. (2002) New South Wales Annual Bird Report for 2000. Australian Birds 33: 1-75. Kingsford, R. T. and Johnson, W. (1998) Impact of water diversions on colonially-nesting waterbirds in the Macquarie Marshes of arid Australia. Colonial Waterbirds 21: 159-170. Kingsford, R. and Porter, J. (2006) Eastern Australian aerial survey database. Accessed 2008. Kingsford, R. T. and Thomas, R. F. (1995) The Macquarie Marshes in arid Australia and their waterbirds: a 50-year history of decline. Environmental Management 19: 867-878. Morris, A. K. and Burton, (1999) New South Wales Annual Bird Report for 1996. Australian Birds 31: 86-137. NSW NPWS (1999) Macquarie Marshes Nature Reserve Plan of Management. New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service: Hurstville.
Contributors: Richard Kingsford commented on the nomination.