Bendigo Box-Ironbark Region (26475)
Australia, Australasia

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1a, B1, D1a

Year of last assessment: 2009

National site name: Bendigo Box-Ironbark Region

Central coordinates: Latitude: -36.7870, Longitude: 144.2815

System: terrestrial

Elevation (m): 130 to 380

Area of KBA (km²): 503.43458

Protected area coverage (%): 27.43

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: This IBA includes all the box-ironbark woodland remnants that are significant for Swift Parrots in the Bendigo region of central Victoria (as defined by Kennedy and Tzaros 2005). This is situated between the Maryborough-Dunolly and the Rushworth Box-Ironbark Region IBAs. Where only one area within a forest patch is known to be significant the whole patch is included, as this the usual management unit and Swift Parrots are likely to use the remaining woodland in smaller numbers or less regularly. This IBA ranges from Kamarooka in the north to south of Castlemaine, including the following remnants (with land-ownership status): Sandon (SF), Strangways (private), Lockwood (SF), Muckleford-Maldon (Muckleford NCR and Maldon SF), Shelbourne (NCR), Diamond Hill-Mandurang-Sedgwick (Bendigo NP, Mandurang SF, Diamond Hill HR, Spring Gully Reservoir and Sedgwick SF), Pilchers Bridge-Lyell (Pilchers Bridge NCR and Lyell SF), Whipstick (NP), Wellsford (Regional Park, Mt Sugarloaf NCR and SF) and Kamarooka (NP; the whole of Kamarooka forest is taken in its entirety for its population of Diamond Firetails and Purple-gaped Honeyeaters). Other adjacent areas of woodland are dominated by trees less suitable for these bird species and are excluded from the IBA, although these areas are still important for other woodland birds and support small numbers of the key IBA species. Most of the IBA is within protected areas or state forests, with only small forest blocks on private land.

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: Occasional records of the endangered Regent Honeyeater. Other declining woodland birds including Brown Treecreeper, Speckled Warbler, Hooded Robin, Grey-crowned Babbler, Crested Bellbird and Gilbert's Whistler; and occasional records of migrant Black Honeyeater and Pink Robin. White-gaped Honeyeater is uncommon in Whipstick and Kamarooka NPs (Tzaros 2005). A single sighting of the vulnerable Painted Honeyeater in Atlas surveys from 1998 to 2008.

Other site values: Protected areas and state forests are owned and managed by state government; the IBA also contains small areas of private land. Some of the forest remnants are on private land without public access.

Habitats

Land use: forestry | nature conservation and research

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Forest	100

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Investigate conservation partnerships with land-owners of box-ironbark remnants on private land, especially seeking to link remnants with larger patches of woodland and forest. Investigate habitat restoration and creation on more fertile land close to remnants. Advocate for protection of the 23% of priority box-ironbark sites that are still unprotected.

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Biological resource use	Logging & wood harvesting	Unintentional effects: large scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest]	Ongoing
Agriculture & aquaculture	Livestock farming & ranching	Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming	Ongoing
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops	Scale Unknown/Unrecorded	Ongoing
Biological resource use	Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target)	Only in the past and unlikely to return
Natural system modifications	Fire & fire suppression	Trend Unknown/Unrecorded	Only in the future
Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases	Named species	Ongoing
Pollution	Agricultural & forestry effluents	Type Unknown/Unrecorded	Ongoing
Human intrusions & disturbance	Recreational activities		Ongoing
Climate change & severe weather	Droughts		Ongoing
Pollution	Garbage & solid waste		Ongoing
Natural system modifications	Other ecosystem modifications		Ongoing

Additional information

References: Environment Conservation Council (2001) Box-ironbark forests and woodlands investigation. Final report. Melbourne: Environment Conservation Council. Johnson, G. and Baker-Gabb, D. (1994) The Bush Stone-curlew in Northern Victoria (Part 1): Conservation and Management. Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research Technical Report Series No. 129. Melbourne: Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Kennedy, S. (2001) Swift Parrots. Results of winter surveys on mainland Australia, 1995-2000. Melbourne: Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Kennedy, S. (2000) Swift Parrot priority foraging and roost sites in Central Victoria. Bendigo, Victoria: Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Kennedy, S.J. and Tzaros, C.L. (2005) Foraging ecology of the Swift Parrot Lathamus discolor in the box-ironbark forests and woodlands of Victoria. Pacific Conservation Biology 11: 158-173. Tzaros, C. (2005) Wildlife of the box-ironbark country. Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO Publishing.