South-west Slopes of NSW (24574)
Australia, Australasia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, B1, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: South-west Slopes of NSW
Central coordinates: Latitude: -34.3507, Longitude: 148.1868
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 180 to 1033
Area of KBA (km2): 25877.6393
Protected area coverage (%): 2.35
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This exceptionally large IBA is defined by the distribution of the south-west slopes population of Superb Parrots and key areas for wintering Swift Parrots. The boundary has been drawn around the core distribution of Superb Parrots and approximates to a 80 km-wide length of the inland slopes of the Great Dividing Range from Wagga Wagga in the south to Orange in the north, extending south-east through Boorowa and Yass to Queanbeyan, with an extension south to include the important Swift Parrot sites of Livingstone NP, Tarcutta, Gundagai, Tumut and Adelong. The majority of the IBA is highly modified wheat and sheep country with few natural vegetation remnants. Within this huge area, all agricultural land with scattered large trees is considered as potential habitat for Superb Parrots. Swift Parrots occur in woodland dominated by Mugga Ironbark and/or Grey Box and sometimes White Box, Yellow Box, Yellow Gum, River Red Gum and Blakely's Red Gum, especially the biggest trees (greater than 60 cm in diameter at breast height) remaining in largely cleared areas. The few remnant blocks of forest are often on ranges and outcrops where the soils are unsuitable for the key tree species required by either parrot species, and many have had box and ironbark selectively removed. Known important remnants for Swift Parrots include Combaning State Forest (741 ha), Ingalba Nature Reserve (3200 ha), Charcoal Tank Nature Reserve (86 ha), Weddin Mountains National Park (8360 ha) and State Forest, Jindalee State Forest (1080 ha), Tarcutta (432 ha; a Bush Heritage reserve), Mates’ Gully and the largely unprotected roadside, Travelling Stock and Camping Reserves. Superb Parrots require large trees with suitable nest hollows, especially Blakely's Red Gum, but also River Red Gum, Apple Box, Grey Box, White Box and Red Box, but these must be within 10 km (and ideally within 3 km) of box-gum woodlands for foraging, and connected by treed flight corridors. Trees do not develop suitable nesting hollows until they exceed 120 years of age, and trees containing larger hollows used by Superb Parrots are likely to be more than 220 years of age. The annual mean temperature of the region ranges from 10-16 Celsius and annual mean precipitation ranges from 500-1150 mm.
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 handful of records of the endangered Regent Honeyeater include two at Jindalee State Forest in May 1998, three at Gunning in November 1998, two at Jindalee State Forest in September 1999 and two at Tumbarumba Cemetery in July 2000 (New South Wales Bird Reports). Other notable species recorded in the IBA include the endangered Australasian Bittern, the near threatened Bush Stone-curlew, the biome-restricted Pink Robin, the Australian Little Bittern and the regionally threatened Turquoise Parrot and Barking Owl. The near threatened Flame Robin and biome-restricted Black Honeyeater are rare visitors to the IBA (Atlas of Australian Birds database).
Other site values: Mostly private leasehold and freeholds; also some Commonwealth (Australian National Botanic Gardens) and state government, NSW NPWS, State Forests, Rural Lands Protection Board and Travelling Stock and Camping Reserves.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | forestry | nature conservation and research | rangeland/pastureland
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 50 | |
| Forest | 50 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Develop and implement a Habitat Retention and Enhancement policy to protect woodland, especially within 10 km of Superb Parrot colonies and known Swift Parrot feeding trees. Promote the regeneration of large hollow-bearing eucalypts. Revegetate and fence flight corridors and foraging habitat.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Agro-industry farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | 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 |
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Problematic native species/diseases | Named species | Ongoing |
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Unspecified species | Ongoing |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Ongoing | |
| Climate change & severe weather | Droughts | Ongoing | |
| Residential & commercial development | Housing & urban areas | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Christie, P. (2004) Extension of the known breeding range of the Superb Parrot. Corella 28: 75-78. Davey, C. (1997) Observations on the Superb Parrot within the Canberra district. Canberra Bird Notes 22: 1-14. Davey, C. and Purchase, D. (2004) A survey of the Superb Parrot Polytelis swainsonii and potential nesting tree hollows along roads of the South-western Slopes, New South Wales. Corella 28: 1-3. DSE (2007) National Recovery Plan for the Superb Parrot Polytelis swainsonii. Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment: Melbourne. Kennedy, S. J. and Overs, A. E. (2001) Foraging ecology and habitat use of the Swift Parrot on the south-western slopes of New South Wales. Corella 25: 68-74. Manning, A. D., Lindenmayer, D. B. and Barry, S. C. (2004) The conservation implications of bird reproduction in the agricultural 'matrix': a case study of the vulnerable superb parrot in south-eastern Australia. Biological Conservation 120: 367-378. Manning, A. D., Lindenmayer, D. B., Barry, S. C. and Nix, H. A. (2006) Multi-scale site and landscape effects on the vulnerable superb parrot of south-eastern Australia during the breeding season. Landscape Ecology 21: 1119-1133. NSW NPWS (2008) Atlas of NSW Wildlife. http://wildlifeatlas.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/wildlifeatlas/watlasSpecies.jsp accessed 11 June 2008. NSW NPWS (in press). Superb Parrot Polytelis swainsonii Recovery Plan. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service: Hurstville. Webster, R. (1988) The Superb Parrot - A survey of the breeding distribution and habitat requirements. Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service Report Series No. 12. Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service: Canberra.