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The site was identified as important 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 List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Chestnut Teal Anas castanea	LC	resident	1999-2006	883-2,159 individuals	A4i
Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis	NT	non-breeding	1998-2007	4,359 individuals	A4i
Pacific Gull Larus pacificus	LC	non-breeding	2003-2007	148-316 individuals	A4i

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2009) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2009. The most recent assessment (2018) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine	moderate (70-90%)	moderate (70-90%)	unfavourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Natural system modifications	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Other	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Residential and commercial development	likely in long term (beyond 4 years)	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Climate change and severe weather	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Pollution	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	slow but significant deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Most of site (50-90%) covered (including the most critical parts for important bird species)	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1982	Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	15
1994	Altona Meadows N.F.R	Natural Features Reserve	<1
2002	Point Cooke	Marine Sanctuary	2
2003	Jawbone F.F.R.	Nature Conservation Reserve	1
2003	Jawbone	Marine Sanctuary	1

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		major (>10)
Marine Intertidal		major (>10)
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine	Other artificial wetlands, Saltpans	minor (<10)
Artificial/Terrestrial	Urban parks & gardens	minor (<10)
Introduced vegetation		minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	major (>10)
tourism/recreation	major (>10)
urban/industrial/transport	minor (<10)
water management	minor (<10)

Victorian State Government managed by Parks Victoria, City of Hobsons Bay, Melbourne Water and the Department of Sustainability and Environment.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Cheetham and Altona (Australia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/cheetham-and-altona-iba-australia on 22/11/2024.