Mount Gibson and Charles Darwin (24845)
Australia, Australasia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Mount Gibson and Charles Darwin
Central coordinates: Latitude: -29.7240, Longitude: 117.1705
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 300 to 490
Area of KBA (km2): 2388.15962
Protected area coverage (%): 93.29
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This IBA incorporates Bush Heritage's Charles Darwin Reserve and Australian Wildlife Conservancy's Mount Gibson Sanctuary, as well as some unallocated Crown Land. This IBA is situated in pastoral country adjacent to the wheatbelt, about 280 km north-east of Perth. The IBA was identified from expert opinion that it supports a significant viable population of Malleefowl, as determined by records in relevant databases (notably the Malleefowl Preservation Group database of 1200 sightings over 15 years, WA Dept of Environment and Conservation, WA Museum and Birds Australia Atlas), and other literature and knowledge, that population viability is greatest within large areas of contiguous mallee or Acacia shrubland. Adjacent pastoral stations also support Malleefowl in smaller numbers and could be added to the IBA if management is improved to conserve numbers and breeding success of this species. The IBA possesses considerable floristic diversity and contains many habitat types largely absent in the Western Australian wheatbelt, due to clearing for agriculture. Importantly, it lies on a transitional vegetation zone called the ‘mulga-eucalypt line’ straddling two major bioregions; the arid Eremean botanical province to the north and the mesic south-west botanical province to the south. The site consists primarily of Acacia shrublands and open eucalypt woodlands with various other vegetation communities (e.g. mallee, herbfields, mulga shrublands, and halophytic shrublands) present in smaller amounts. The IBA generally receives 280mm of rainfall a year, and although highly variable, rain falls mostly in winter.
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: Other birds have not been documented for this IBA.
Other site values: Charles Darwin Reserve is managed by Bush Heritage Australia, Mount Gibson Station is managed by Australian Wildlife Conservancy, unallocated Crown Land is vested in the state government. Permission is required to enter Charles Darwin Reserve and Mount Gibson Sanctuary.
Habitats
Land use: nature conservation and research (80%) | not utilised (20%)
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 75 | |
| Grassland | 3 | |
| Savanna | 22 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Investigate the impact of fire regimes on Malleefowl persistence. Investigate the effect of fox control on Malleefowl and meso-predators also (i.e. feral cats etc).
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Additional information
References: Australian Wildlife Conservancy (2007) Mt Gibson Sanctuary (on-line) http://www.australianwildlife.org/mtgibson.asp? Accessed 2007. Barrett, G.W., Silcocks,A., Barry, S., Cunningham, R. and Poulter, R. (2003) The New Atlas of Australian Birds. Melbourne: Birds Australia. Benshemesh, J. (2000) National Recovery Plan for Malleefowl. Adelaide: Department of Environment and Heritage. Bureau of Meteorology (2007) Climate Data Online (on-line). http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages Accessed December 2007. Department of Environment and Heritage (2003) National Vegetation Information System (NVIS). Pre-European and Present Native Vegetation. (Published Data-Stage 1, Version 2) National Land & Water Resources Audit (on-line) Accessed 2006. Parsons, B.C., Short, J.C. and Roberts, J.D. (2008) Contraction in the range of Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) in Western Australia: a comparative assessment using presence-only and presence-absence datasets. Emu 108: 221-231. Parsons, B.C., Short, J.C. and Roberts, J.D. (in press) Using community observations to predict the occurrence of Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) in the Western Australian wheatbelt. Biological Conservation.
Contributors: Blair Parsons wrote the nomination. Staff of Australian Wildlife Conservancy and Bush Heritage, including Sandy Gilmour, helped provide data and advice.