Griffith Wetlands (24746)
Australia, Australasia

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Year of last assessment: 2009

National site name: Griffith Wetlands

Central coordinates: Latitude: -34.1617, Longitude: 145.8558

System: freshwater, terrestrial

Elevation (m): 100 to 110

Area of KBA (km²): 38.06765

KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: The IBA consists of Lake Wyangan, Campbell's, Nericon and Barren Box Swamps, all close to Griffith in southern New South Wales. Barren Box Swamp was an ephemeral swamp; however it has been divided into three, with 60% left as a natural ephemeral wetland, which is wet only in wet years. The impounded 40% is an irrigation drainage wetland used for water storage and recycling, with grazed edges and reed beds, but has the potential to be flooded back to a shallow swamp. North and South Lake Wyangan are permanent water storage facilities with an area of Cumbungi suitable for bitterns. Nericon is a shallow swamp that is usually cattle grazed pasture, but it fills from local rains and can support large numbers of shorebirds. Campbell's Swamp is a black box-lignum swamp with extensive open areas interspersed with stands of Cumbungi and Phragmites, which occasionally fills from local rains or from a water release. When there is sufficient water for rice cultivation in the area, these natural swamps support breeding waterbirds, which feed more widely in the rice fields, and Australasian Bitterns forage and possibly nest in the rice fields. Local rains flood these wetlands irregularly, and less frequently in recent years. However, a water allocation was released for Campbell's Swamp in 2006/7. The IBA could be extended to include Griffith sewage treatment works, about 6 km away, which often support large numbers of Blue-billed Ducks.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)

Additional biodiversity: The IBA could be extended to include Griffith sewage treatment works, about 6 km away, which often supports large numbers of Blue-billed Ducks, max about 50 in recent years (W. Moller pers. comm. 2008; D. Webb pers. comm. 2008). Nericon Swamp supported high numbers of waterbirds in 1995/6, including 3500 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (but subsequent counts of only hundreds), 1750 Red-necked Avocet (but usually about 200-400 birds when wet, and absent when dry), and 1800 Chestnut Teal (Birds Australia Murray-Darling Basin waterbird database; D. Webb pers. comm. 2008; W. Moller pers. comm. 2008).

Other site values: Murrumbidgee Irrigation (Barren Box Swamp) and Griffith City Council (sewage treatment works, trust manager for the Lake Wyangan Wetlands).

Habitats

Land use: nature conservation and research | not utilised | rangeland/pastureland | urban/industrial/transport | water management

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Wetlands(Inland)	50
Artificial - Aquatic	50

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Conservation of the endangered Australasian Bittern should be part of the management objectives of Griffith City Council and Murrumbidgee Irrigation. Water allocations should be made to allow occasional natural flooding of these wetlands.

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Natural system modifications	Dams & water management/use	Abstraction of ground water (agricultural use)	Ongoing
Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	Problematic native species/diseases	Unspecified species	Ongoing

Additional information

References: Morris A.K., and Burton, A. (1997) NSW Annual Bird Report 1995. Australian Birds 30: 81-149. Morris A.K., and Burton, A. (1999) NSW Annual Bird Report 1996. Australian Birds 31: 86-137.