Port Fairy to Warrnambool (25119)
Australia, Australasia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Port Fairy to Warrnambool
Central coordinates: Latitude: -38.3592, Longitude: 142.3810
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 20
Area of KBA (km2): 13.86667
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The IBA is comprised of a 17 km length of beach and associated coastal dune scrub from between Port Fairy and Warrnambool in western Victoria. The IBA extends along the coast from Reef Point to Levy's Beach (approximately 17 km) and inland to include Ruttledge's Cutting, Kelly Swamp and surrounding pasture. The IBA supports two prominent vegetation types: dense coastal dune scrub comprised of medium shrubs (e.g. Coast Wattle, Coast Beard-heath) above a ground cover of grasses, herbs and sedges; and a mosaic of aquatic herbland, coastal saltmarsh and damp saline pasture supporting species such as Beaded Glasswort, Creeping Brookweed, Shiny Swamp-mat, Buck's-horn Plantain and Fathen. The stretches of beach west of Port Fairy from Taylor Bay to Griffith Island (approximately 7 km) and east of Warrnambool from eastern Lady Bay to Gaul's Cave (approximately 5 km), could also be added to the IBA for their relatively high population densities of Hooded Plovers.
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: Small numbers of Pacific Gull occur along this stretch of coast (Dodd & Woodrow 2007; G. Maguire pers. comm. 2007; C. Tzaros pers. comm. 2007). One count of 500 Sanderling (Australasian Wader Studies Group database). Surveys suggest that Striated Fieldwrens are abundant in coastal scrub and saltmarsh habitats (Dodd and Woodrow 2007; Atlas of Australian Birds database). Flame Robins are uncommon non-breeding visitors to the IBA (Atlas of Australian Birds database).
Other site values: State or local government; private.
Habitats
Land use: nature conservation and research | rangeland/pastureland
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Intertidal | 5 | |
| Marine Neritic | 5 | |
| Introduced Vegetation | 40 | |
| Shrubland | 40 | |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 5 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 5 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Minimise human and associated disturbance through erection of signage, management of horse riding and introduction of defined beach access routes at selected control points. Reduce the cover of exotic vegetation by implementing a revegetation program for native species. Minimise the impact of livestock on habitat values by excluding stock from coastal reserves (Moyne Shire Council 2001).
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Agro-industry grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Named species | Ongoing |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Dodd, P. and Woodrow, R. (2007) Survey 22787: Rutledge's Cutting (Kelly Swamp). http://www.eremaea.com/SiteRegionsSurvey.aspx?Region=17&Survey=22787&Culture=en-AU&Path=8:13 accessed on 11 September 2007. Moyne Shire Council (2001) 'Moyne Shire Coastal Action Plan'. (Western Coastal Board: Geelong and Moyne Shire Council: Port Fairy.)
Contributors: Chris Tzaros and Glenn Ehmke of the Orange-bellied Parrot Recovery Team and Grainne Maguire of the Hooded Plover project provided data and helped define the boundaries.