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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
Blue-billed Duck Oxyura australis	LC	non-breeding (2002)	703 birds	A1, A4i
Pink-eared Duck Malacorhynchus membranaceus	LC	resident (1997–2002)	74,115 birds	A4i
Freckled Duck Stictonetta naevosa	LC	resident (1982–2003)	1,000 birds	A4i
Maned Duck Chenonetta jubata	LC	resident (1975–2002)	20,209 birds	A4i
Grey Teal Anas gracilis	LC	resident (1997–2002)	37,000 birds	A4i
Black-tailed Native-hen Tribonyx ventralis	LC	resident (1997–2002)	90,000 birds	A4i
Australian Bustard Ardeotis australis	LC	breeding (-)	frequent	A1
Yellow-billed Spoonbill Platalea flavipes	LC	resident (2002)	1,153 birds	A4i
Royal Spoonbill Platalea regia	LC	resident (2002)	1,418 birds	A4i
Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus	LC	resident (1991–2002)	100,000 birds	A4i
Great Pied Cormorant Phalacrocorax varius	LC	resident (2001–2002)	14,000 birds	A4i
Red-necked Avocet Recurvirostra novaehollandiae	LC	non-breeding (1987–2003)	16,703 birds	A4i
Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus	LC	resident (1982–2002)	2,000 birds	A4i
Red-kneed Dotterel Erythrogonys cinctus	LC	breeding (1997)	15,000 birds	A4i
Inland Dotterel Peltohyas australis	LC	resident (1998–2008)	uncommon	A3
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata	VU	non-breeding (2002)	1,638–9,000 birds	A4i
Bourke's Parrot Neopsephotus bourkii	LC	resident (2008)	common	A3
Eyrean Grasswren Amytornis goyderi	LC	resident (1980–1989)	frequent	A2, A3
Gibberbird Ashbyia lovensis	LC	resident (-)	uncommon	A3
Banded Whiteface Aphelocephala nigricincta	LC	resident (2008)	uncommon	A3
Cinnamon Quail-thrush Cinclosoma cinnamomeum	LC	resident (2008)	common	A3
Chirruping Wedgebill Psophodes cristatus	LC	resident (2008)	common	A3

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2009. The most recent assessment (2019) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Wetlands (inland)	good (>90%)	very poor (<40%)	very poor
Savanna	moderate (70–90%)	poor (40–69%)	very poor
Shrubland	poor (40–69%)	very poor (<40%)	very poor

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Climate change and severe weather	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Natural system modifications	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Energy production and mining	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Human intrusions and disturbance	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Pollution	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Biological resource use	likely in short term (<4 years)	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Whole area (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A compre­hensive and appropriate management plan exists that aims to maintain or improve the populations of qualifying bird species	Very little or no conservation action taking place	medium

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1994	Innamincka	Regional Reserve (VI)	69
2005	Malkumba-Coongie Lakes	National Park (II)	31

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)	major (>10)	Inland cliffs
Wetlands (inland)	major (>10)	Ephemeral; Freshwater lakes & pools
Desert	minor (<10)	Semi-desert (includes gibber plains)
Savanna	minor (<10)	Eucalypt open woodlands
Shrubland	minor (<10)	Acacia shrublands; Chenopod shrubs, samphire shrubs and forblands

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

Coongie Lakes National Park is managed by the Department for Environment and Heritage. Most of the remaining land is under pastoral and mineral exploration leases.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Coongie Lakes (Australia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/coongie-lakes-iba-australia on 23/12/2024.