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Site description (2008 baseline):

The IBA consists of the whole 235 km² Barrow Island, as the whole island is listed as a Nature Reserve and threats from invasive species must be managed on a whole-island basis. Barrow is 60 km off the Pilbara coast of Western Australia. It is a limestone island with a hot, arid climate and a mean rainfall of about 320 mm pa. Most of the island is low and gently undulating, but on the west coast there are gullies, cliffs and sandy beaches. Hummock grassland dominates the landscape and provides habitat for Spinifexbirds and White-winged Fairy-wrens. Although shorebirds are concentrated in the south-east and south of Barrow Island, significant numbers are present around the entire island except for the 'Upper West' section (Bamford and Bamford 2005).

The Barrow Island subspecies of the White-winged Fairy-wren Malurus leucopterus edouardi is endemic, listed as vulnerable (Garnett and Crowley 2000), protected by the Federal EPBC Act, genetically distinct from the mainland Malurus leucopterus leuconotus (Driskell et al. 2002) and has a population of around 7500 birds (Bamford and Bamford 2005). 1708 Common Terns counted in November 2003 and 7300 Roseate Terns counted in September 2004 are more than the 1% of the biogeographic population but it is not known whether the island regularly supports these numbers. A count of 83 Sooty Oystercatcher represents 1.1% of the known population of the distinctive northern race (ophthalmicus) of the species. Counts of Sanderling, Greater Sand Plover and Lesser Sand Plover during the southward migration period (September to November) met the staging criterion (0.25% of a species’ biogeographic population) of the Ramsar Convention. Counts of 4000 Bridled Terns around Double Island in November 2003 may also be locally significant for this species (Bamford and Bamford 2005).

Non-bird biodiversity: Barrow Island has several mammal taxa listed as threatened and numerous endemic subterranean animals (troglobites and stygobites), some of which are listed as threatened. One endemic troglobitic snake species (the only troglobitic snake in the world) and one endemic skink subpecies also occur on the island. The beaches are regionally-significant rookeries for green turtles (west coast) and flatback turtles (east coast).

Disturbance to the shorebirds from people and infrastructure development needs to be minimised. To conserve the terrestrial species, the quarantine management system needs improving, including intensive biological monitoring to detect introduced species before they become widespread.

Mammal monitoring takes place as a joint project between DEC and Chevron Australia. Extensive biological data published as part of the Gorgon project EIS documentation. Chevron maintains an oilfield quarantine system and proposes to improve it if construction of a LNG plant occurs.

Barrow Island Nature Reserve.

Barrow Island Nature Reserve is Class A Reserve 11648 for "Conservation of Flora and Fauna" vested in the Conservation Commission of Western Australia and managed by the Department of Environment and Conservation. A petroleum lease, owned by Chevron Australia, covers the whole island.

Access is limited because of Petroleum Production Lease.

Thanks to Andrew Burbidge as compiler of the nomination and for comments received from Mike Bamford and Cheryl Gole.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Barrow Island (Australia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/barrow-island-iba-australia on 23/12/2024.