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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2009 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('key species') at the site:

Species	Red List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Sarus Crane Grus antigone	VU	non-breeding (1997–2008)	1,050–3,200 individuals	A1, A4i
Bush Thick-knee Burhinus grallarius	LC	breeding (1998–2008)	frequent	A1

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2009. The most recent assessment (2020) is shown below.

State (condition of the key species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Artificial/Terrestrial	moderate (70–90%)	moderate (70–90%)	unfavourable

Pressure (threats to the key species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	moderate deteri­oration (10–30% in 3 gener­ations)	high
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	moderate deteri­oration (10–30% in 3 gener­ations)	high
Energy production and mining	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	rapid deteri­oration (>30% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Residential and commercial development	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	rapid deteri­oration (>30% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Pollution	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	moderate deteri­oration (10–30% in 3 gener­ations)	low
Natural system modifications	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Biological resource use	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	no deteri­oration (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Human intrusions and disturbance	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	no deteri­oration (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the key species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Most of site (50–90%) covered (including the most critical parts for important bird species)	No manage­ment planning has taken place	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
-	Danbulla South	Forest Reserve (VI)	1
1994	Hasties Swamp	National Park (II)	<1
1994	Yungaburra	National Park (II)	<1
1994	Malanda Falls	Conservation Park (III)	<1
1994	Hallorans Hill	Conservation Park (III)	<1
2001	Nasser's	Nature Refuge (VI)	<1
2005	Danbulla	Forest Reserve (VI)	<1
2008	Mount Quincan Crater	Nature Refuge (VI)	<1
2008	Curtain Fig	National Park (II)	1
2013	Mount Quincan	Nature Refuge (VI)	<1
2014	Hallorans Hill	Conservation Park (III)	<1
2014	Malanda Falls	Conservation Park (III)	<1

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Artificial/Terrestrial	79	Arable land; Improved grassland & pasture; Other urban & industrial areas
Wetlands (inland)	major (>10)	Freshwater lakes & pools
Forest	minor (<10)	Rainforest & vine thickets

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	major (>10)
rangeland/pastureland	major (>10)
water management	major (>10)
urban/industrial/transport	minor (<10)

State government (including Environmental Protection Agency/Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service), local government and private.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: Atherton Tablelands (Australia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/atherton-tablelands-iba-australia on 13/01/2025.