Venus Bay (25124)
Australia, Australasia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: D1a
Year of last assessment: 2009
National site name: Venus Bay
Central coordinates: Latitude: -33.1882, Longitude: 134.6465
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 22
Area of KBA (km2): 83.69688
Protected area coverage (%): 98.58
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The IBA includes all of Venus Bay, halfway between Port Lincoln and Ceduna on the Eyre peninsula. This large bay is about 15 km by 5 km and has a narrow entrance to the sea. The western half of the bay is largely deep water but includes seven islands in Venus Bay, totalling approximately 190 ha. These islands and the three peninsulas, Mainland Point, Black Point and the Entrance Beach Peninsula, are important for nesting shorebirds and gulls. The eastern half of the bay has extensive intertidal flats and one large island. The central south coast borders the Venus Bay Conservation Park, which has a predator exclusion fence and supports a range of re-introduced mammals. The north-west border abuts the Venus Bay Conservation Reserve but the IBA hardly overlaps these conservation parks, which only extend down to the high water mark. There are public or private roads around most of the bay.
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 other waterbirds nest: Caspian Terns (18 nests in 2004 and 20 nests in 2005 on Island B), Australian Pelican (max 50 nests in 2008 on Island B), Pied Cormorant (966 nests on island B in 2007) (Armstrong in prep.). Rock Parrots are common at Venus Bay (J. Cooper pers. comm. 2008); most confirmed nesting occurs on Island C, with a few nests on Garden Island (Armstrong in prep.). Blue-winged Fairy-wrens are locally frequent but there is limited suitable habitat within the designated boundaries of the IBA (J. Cooper pers. comm. 2008).
Other site values: Crown Land (coastal zone).
Habitats
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture | not utilised
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 5 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 95 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Investigate impacts of cockle harvesting on key bird species.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Armstrong, D. (in prep.) Venus Bay nesting seabirds. Report to Wildlife Conservation Fund, DEH, Adelaide. DEH (2008) Report on opportunities for the protection of coastal land between Streaky Bay to Venus Bay through establishment of a CoastLinks Conservation Area. Unpublished report: Department for Environment and Heritage, Adelaide. Downloaded from http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/biodiversity/pdfs/coastlinks_report.pdf in December 2008. Ross, G.J.B., Weaver, K. and Greig, J.C. (eds) (1996) The status of Australia's seabirds; proceedings of the national workshop, Canberra 1-2 November 1993. Canberra: Environment Australia. Wilson, J.R. (2000) South Australian wader surveys. January and February 2000. Melbourne: Australasian Wader Studies Group unpublished report.
Contributors: The Friends of Streaky Bay District Parks assisted with the nomination.