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Wetlands of International and National Importance

Wetlands of International Importance - The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Wetlands of National Importance

Wetlands of International Importance - The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Introduction

The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an inter-governmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are presently 152 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1596 wetland sites, totalling 134.7 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

The Ramsar Agreement came into force for Australia on 21 December 1975. Australia currently has 64 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a combined area of 7.3 million hectares.

Ramsar wetlands in NSW

There are eleven Ramsar wetlands in NSW. The location of these sites is given on the Wetlands of National and International Importance Map. They are as follows:

A. Blue Lake

glacial lake
A glacial lake in Kosciusko National Park
Source: Dayle Green (DNR)

Blue Lake was accepted as a Ramsar site on the 17/03/96. It has a surface area of 320 ha and is located within the Kosciusko National Park. It is one of only four cirque lakes found on mainland Australia. It is surrounded by alpine herb fields, heaths, fens and bogs and supports various native plants and animals, including rare, vulnerable and endangered species. At least 15 species of rare plants, 2 rare mammals and several invertebrate species that are restricted to the alpine zone are found in the Reserve area.

Human activities include conservation education, skiing, and ice climbing.

B. Gwydir Wetlands: Gingham and Lower Gwydir (Big Leather) Watercourses

Gwydir wetland
Source: Tracy Fulford (DNR)

The Gwydir wetland was accepted as a Ramsar site on the 14/06/99. The Ramsar site has a designated area of 823 ha. The Gwydir Wetlands themselves are much more extensive. The wetland is home to half a million nesting and breeding waterbirds. The wetland supports an appreciable assemblage of endangered and vulnerable species, including Magpie Geese and the Brolga. It also supports a large number of common species that are at the edge of their geographical range, including the Black-necked Stork and Jacana. The wetland is of value for maintaining genetic and ecological diversity because there are very few of these inland wetlands left.

The designated area is entirely privately-owned and forms part of a much larger wetland system in the Murray-Darling drainage system. Large parts of the surrounding land are used for cotton growing and cattle grazing, with the latter use continuing under careful regulation, as part of the wise use of the site. A Memorandum of Understanding on the designation and future management of the site was signed on World Wetlands Day 1999 by the four landowning families and officials of the State and Commonwealth governments, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and the National Parks Association.

C. Kooragang Nature Reserve

Kooragang Nature Reserve became a Ramsar site on 21 February 1984.

Kooragang Nature Reserve's 2926ha is in the estuary of the Hunter River and part of the Ramsar site is subject to tidal flooding. Kooragang Nature Reserve and surrounding habitat is an important bird study area in NSW.

Kooragang Nature Reserve supports a variety of wetland types, including mangrove forest, saltmarsh, saline and freshwater pasture, casuarina forest, brackish and freshwater swamp, mudflats, sandy beaches and rock training walls. Rainforest remnants also occur in Kooragang Nature Reserve.

Kooragang Nature Reserve is important as a feeding and roosting site for seasonally migrating shorebirds, including the bar-tailed godwit, greenshank, terek sandpiper and eastern curlew. In total 190 species of birds have been recorded at Kooragang Nature Reserve representing 25% of species known in Australia.

D. Lake Pinaroo

Lake Pinaroo was accepted as a Ramsar site on the 17/03/96. It has an area of 800 ha and is situated in the Sturt National Park in the arid far west of NSW. Lake Pinaroo is the largest terminal basin found within the NSW portion of the Simpson-Trezlecky Dune Fields biogeographical region. The lake only fills when Frome Swamp overflows during intense local rainfall events. However, once full, the lake can take up to six years to dry out. The size of the lake and its capacity to retain water play a crucial role for the survival of many species of plants and animals in the immediate and surrounding areas. The site provides valuable habitat for endangered birds, and supports a substantial number of waterbirds, especially when the level of the lake is high. Numerous species of small mammals and reptiles are common. Human activities include tourism and nature conservation. There is an exceptionally high density and variety of Aboriginal sites.

E. Little Llangothlin Nature Reserve

The Little Llangothlin Nature Reserve was accepted as a Ramsar site on the 17/03/96. It is located on the New England Tablelands. The Nature Reserve is part of the larger New England Lagoon system which includes 29 lagoons and swamped depressions, and extends over 100 kilometres along the Great Dividing Range. It is one of the few high altitude, freshwater lagoons in New South Wales and is an unusual system, as lagoons are not usually found in fluvial landscapes at the extreme upper limit of streams. The site is particularly important as a drought refuge for waterbirds such as the Comb-crested Jacana and the Blue-billed Duck. It regularly supports large numbers of waterbirds, some of which breed at the site. Several birds, plants and amphibians are rare, vulnerable, endangered or endemic. Vegetation includes submerged and emergent aquatic plants, sedge-meadows, and terrestrial communities. Archaeological surveys show evidence of Aboriginal activity. Human activities consist of livestock grazing and nature conservation. Public access is restricted to researchers, birdwatchers, and educational institutions.

F. Macquarie Marshes & Wilgara Nature Reserve

Macquarie Marshes
Source: DNR

The Macquarie Marshes Nature Reserve was accepted as a Ramsar site on the 01/08/86. The Wilgara Wetland was designated in April 2000. It has a surface area of 18,726 ha and is located in the central west of NSW. The reserve is part of the larger Macquarie Marshes wetland, which has an area exceeding 250,000 ha during major flooding. This wetland contains the largest area of reedbeds in south-eastern Australia, and one of the largest river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) woodlands. The marshes are important for waterbirds, including large numbers of herons, ducks, egrets, ibises, spoonbills, terns and migratory waders. Agricultural development, in particular irrigation, is the main human use of surrounding land. The reserve area was extended from 18,143 to 18,726 hectares in April 2000, incorporating wetland area on private land. This was achieved through an agreement between the government and private landowners. A Memorandum of Understanding on the designation and future management of the site was signed by the landowning family and officials of the State and Commonwealth governments, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and the National Parks Association.

G. Myall Lakes

Myall Lakes
Source: Dayle Green (DNR)

Myall Lakes was accepted as a Ramsar site on the 14/06/99. It has a surface area of 44,612 ha. The Ramsar site lies within the Myall Lakes National Park and includes the Corrie Island and Little Broughton Island Nature Reserves. It is one of the few coastal brackish lake systems in New South Wales which has not been greatly modified by human activities. The area is renowned for its floristic diversity, with over 600 species of plants, and a complex variety of habitats, largely due to differences in substrate. It is an extremely popular tourist destination featuring water-based recreational activities, and thus an economic engine for a number of towns in the region.

H. Narran Lakes Nature Reserve

Narran Lakes
Aerial photo of Narran Lakes
Source: DNR

Narran Lakes Nature Reserve was accepted as a Ramsar site on the 14/06/99. It has a surface area of 5,531 ha. It covers part of a large 'terminal' wetland of the Narran River in New South Wales at the end of the Condamine River system which flows south from Queensland. It is of very high traditional, as well as contemporary, social and spiritual significance to the Aboriginal people. It is internationally significant for waterbird breeding and habitat. It supports a number of waterbirds that are listed under the Japan-Australia and China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreements (JAMBA and CAMBA).

I. Towra Point Nature Reserve

The Towra Point Nature Reserve is located on the shores of Botany Bay in Sydney. It was accepted as a Ramsar site on the 21/02/84. 

The site is botanically diverse, with around 300 different species of plants. The Reserve contains approximately 50% of the remaining mangrove communities and 90% of the remaining saltmarsh communities in Sydney.

As one of the few remaining areas of estuarine wetlands near Sydney, it is important for the regional survival of many bird species, and is home to a number of endangered native birds including the Little Tern.

Human activities include recreational and commercial fishing, with surrounding areas developed for industrial and recreational use.

J. Fivebough and Tuckerbill swamps

The Fivebough and Tuckerbill swamps are located near Leeton, with Fivebough covering 400 hectares and Tuckerbil, 289 hectares. They were accepted as a Ramsar site in 2002, mainly because they provide important feeding and breeding habitat for various species of waterbirds, such as whiskered terns and glossy ibis. The swamps are one of the few non-riparian wetlands in the region, and because they are wet all year round, may act as a drought refuge.

K. Central Murray State Forest

The Central Murray State Forest is located on the riverine plain near Deniliquin, and covers and area of approximately 84,000 hectares. The Forest was accepted as a Ramsar site in 2002. The site contains wetland types that are rare in the area, such as floodplain lakes and meadows and reed swamps, and provides a habitat network for a large number of endangered species, including the Australian bittern, Murray hardyhead and Trout cod. It has been managed successfully for multiples use for 150 years, and now supports a wide variety of land uses: recreation, timber harvesting, Aboriginal and European cultural heritage, biodiversity conservation, livestock grazing, water supply, and flood mitigation.

Who looks after the listing of Ramsar sites in NSW?

National Parks and Wildlife Service is responsible for administering the Ramsar Convention, which means it assesses sites and prepares nomination submissions which are then passed on to the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth Minister for Environment and Heritage is responsible for endorsing State submissions and sending them through to the Ramsar Bureau for designation and listing to the convention.

References and Further Information on Ramsar

Most of the information provided above comes from the "Annotated Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance – AUSTRALIA", which can be downloaded from the Ramsar website. This information has been used with the permission of the Ramsar Bureau in France. For more information on the Ramsar Convention, or on any of the these wetlands, please visit the Ramsar website.

Wetlands of National Importance

Introduction

In June 1993, the Australian Nature Conservation Agency (ANCA) published the first edition of "A Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia". A second, revised edition was published in 1996 by Environment Australia and third edition in2001. The third edition consists of a summary of nationally important wetlands with the associated detailed site information made available on Environment Australia's website. The Directory describes over 850 of Australia's nationally important wetlands. The wetlands described in the Directory are those which meet the criteria of national importance as revised by the ANZECC Wetlands Network in August 1994.

The goal of the Directory project is to not only to compile information on nationally important wetlands but also to assist the States and Territories in gathering data for the management of wetland sites other than those which qualify against the nationally 'important' criteria. The ultimate goal of the project is the development of a comprehensive wetland database for each State and Territory in Australia. Although the focus of the Directory is on the more significant wetland sites, this should not be taken to mean that those sites not listed are not important and do not require good management. All Australian wetlands play a key role in maintaining the vitality and health of our catchments and must therefore be managed sensibly. For further information on the criteria used for determining nationally "important " wetlands visit Environment Australia's website.

The latest Directory information is available on Environment Australia's website.

Wetlands of National Importance In New South Wales.

NSW currently has 178 wetlands, with a total area of 2,334,734 hectares described under the Directory of important wetlands in Australia. The location of these wetlands is shown on the Wetlands of National and International Importance Map. A complete list of these wetlands is available on the "Wetlands and Activities in your Region" pages of this site.