Current view: Text account
Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
This IBA consists of the commerical saltworks at Dampier, near Karratha in northern Western Australia. Dampier Saltworks is a large network of inundated salt evaporation and intake ponds surrounded by tidal creeks and mud-flats. The boundary of the IBA includes all habitat deemed suitable for shorebirds based on available survey data. The boundary excludes potentially suitable shorebird habitat to the east and west, but the available survey data suggest that the most important shorebird habitat is located at the intake ponds and pond 1A of the saltworks, each of which are included within the boundary of the IBA. The intake pond is 5200 ha in area and bordered on its northern edge by a man-made levee bank adjacent to which are extensive mangroves and mud flats. It also has a long circumference of natural shoreline and various exposed sandbanks on its south-western side. Pond 1A is 989 ha in area and bordered entirely by man-made levee banks. It has an area of exposed soft sediment at its south western corner and a large natural island at its centre. Condtions in Pond 1A are saline but not hypersaline. Evaporation ponds located east of Pond 1A are hypersaline and used only by small numbers of birds, and as such have been excluded from the IBA.
There have been significant counts of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (4204 in November 2005 but otherwise 23-590 in four other counts) and Oriental Plover (1833 in March 1985; also 473 in 2005 but zero in four other counts 2002-2006) at Dampier Saltworks (Hassell 2006).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Inundation of the saltworks should where possible be managed to benefit shorebirds.
Crown land under mining lease to Dampier Salt Limited (Rio Tinto Minerals).
Site access / Land-owner requests
Access to the site is regulated by Dampier Salt Limited (Rio Tinto Minerals).
Thanks to Chris Hassell as compiler with assistance from Tim Ryan (Dampier Salt Limited) and Clive Minton.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Dampier Saltworks (Australia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/dampier-saltworks-iba-australia on 23/11/2024.
