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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 ('triggering') IBA criteria.

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

Species	Red List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Australian Shelduck Tadorna tadornoides	LC	non-breeding (1986–2008)	1,548–6,108 birds	A4i
Banded Stilt Cladorhynchus leucocephalus	LC	non-breeding (1986–2008)	4,000 birds	A4i
Red-necked Avocet Recurvirostra novaehollandiae	LC	non-breeding (1986–2008)	1,915–4,000 birds	A4i
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus	LC	non-breeding (1986–2008)	3,290–5,000 birds	A4i

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2009. The most recent assessment (2008) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Natural system modifications	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Pollution	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Residential and commercial development	likely in long term (>4 years)	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Not assessed	Not assessed	Not assessed	not assessed

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1963	Broadwater	Nature Reserve (Ia)	4
1972	Sabina	Nature Reserve (Ia)	2
1991	Unnamed WA41568	Nature Reserve (Ia)	1
1997	Unnamed WA44838	Nature Reserve (Ia)	2
2008	Unnamed WA49385	Nature Reserve (Ia)	<1
2009	Unnamed WA50270	5(1)(h) Reserve (IV)	6
2009	Unnamed WA50017	Nature Reserve (Ia)	<1

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	major (>10)
Artificial/Terrestrial	minor (<10)	Improved grassland & pasture

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	major (>10)
water management	major (>10)
rangeland/pastureland	minor (<10)

Parts of five protected areas (managed by DEC), freehold land and unallocated Crown Land (managed by the Shire of Busselton).

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Busselton Wetlands (Australia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/busselton-wetlands-iba-australia on 23/12/2024.