Lower Hunter Valley (24552)
Australia, Australasia

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1a, D1a

Year of last assessment: 2009

National site name: Lower Hunter Valley

Central coordinates: Latitude: -32.8608, Longitude: 151.3297

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 100 to 300

Area of KBA (km²): 567.81015

Protected area coverage (%): 9.98

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The IBA is located around Cessnock in central-eastern New South Wales. It is defined by Spotted Gum and Box-Ironbark woodlands and remnants used by Swift Parrots and Regent Honeyeaters. The IBA includes Aberdare State Forest, Pelton SF, Broke Common, Singleton Army Base (where few records of Regent Honeyeaters reflect infrequent access by birdwatchers), Pokolbin, Quorrobolong, Abermain, Tomalpin, patches of bush around the towns of Paxton and Ellalong and private bush land owned by mining companies. The IBA extends north of Cessnock to include all of Werakata National Park (multiple records of Swift Parrots), west as far as Broke, and south to the edge of the Pokolbin, Corrabare and Heaton State Forests and Watagans National Park, as the key birds do not use these hilly forests. An arbitrary eastern boundary is taken as Highway 82 north to Mulbring, then minor roads north to Maitland. The boundary could be extended south-west to include Laguna and Wollombi where 12 Regent Honeyeaters nested in 1999. Extensive areas are used for underground and open-cut coal mining, and other areas are are used for vineyards, residential development, industrial development and military training.

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: The IBA provides habitat for a variety of birds. For example, 132 species of bird, including 12 species listed as threatened at state level or above, have been recorded in Werakata National Park (NSW NPWS 2007). The near threatened Diamond Firetail is locally uncommon around Broke (A. Morris pers. comm. 2008).

Other site values: Commonwealth/Federal (Department of Defence); state government (Department of Environment and Climate Change); private leasehold.

Habitats

Land use: forestry | military | nature conservation and research | rangeland/pastureland | urban/industrial/transport

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Savanna	33
Artificial - Terrestrial	33
Forest	33

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Ensure that industrial development does not occur on remnant Spotted Gum or Box-Ironbark woodlands. Ensure that coal mining does not occur on these woodlands.

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Agriculture & aquaculture	Livestock farming & ranching	Scale Unknown/Unrecorded	Only in the future
Natural system modifications	Fire & fire suppression	Increase in fire frequency/intensity	Ongoing
Natural system modifications	Fire & fire suppression	Suppression in fire frequency/intensity	Only in the future
Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases	Unspecified species	Ongoing
Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	Problematic native species/diseases	Named species	Ongoing
Residential & commercial development	Housing & urban areas		Only in the future
Energy production & mining	Mining & quarrying		Ongoing
Transportation & service corridors	Roads & railroads		Only in the future
Human intrusions & disturbance	Recreational activities		Ongoing
Pollution	Garbage & solid waste		Ongoing

Additional information

References: NSW NPWS (2007) Atlas of New South Wales Wildlife. http://wildlifeatlas.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/wildlifeatlas/watlas.jsp accessed on 7 November 2007. Saunders, D. (2002) Assessment of Swift Parrot sites near Cessnock, Lower Hunter Valley region, NSW. Hurstville: National Parks and Wildlife Service.