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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
Plumed Whistling-duck Dendrocygna eytoni	LC	resident (1993)	15,000–26,000 birds	A4i
Hardhead Aythya australis	LC	resident (2002)	14,000 birds	A4i
Grey Teal Anas gracilis	LC	resident (2002)	60,000 birds	A4i
Flock Bronzewing Phaps histrionica	LC	resident (1993)	100,000 birds	A4ii
Eurasian Coot Fulica atra	LC	resident (2002)	160,000 birds	A4i
Australian Bustard Ardeotis australis	LC	resident (1998–2008)	frequent	A1
Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis	LC	resident (1995)	13,000 birds	A4i
Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus	LC	resident (2001–2002)	7,700 pairs	A4i
Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax sulcirostris	LC	resident (2002)	17,000 birds	A4i
Oriental Plover Charadrius veredus	LC	non-breeding (1993)	1,034 birds	A4i
Common Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica	LC	resident (1995)	8,720 birds	A4i
Letter-winged Kite Elanus scriptus	NT	resident (-)	uncommon	A1, 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 (2008) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	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%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Natural system modifications	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Human intrusions and disturbance	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	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
Not assessed	Not assessed	Not assessed	not assessed

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Grassland	major (>10)	Tussock grasslands
Savanna	major (>10)	Acacia open woodlands; Eucalypt open woodlands
Shrubland	major (>10)	Chenopod shrubs, samphire shrubs and forblands; Other shrublands
Wetlands (inland)	major (>10)	Ephemeral

Land use	% of IBA
rangeland/pastureland	100

Pastoral lease (Brunette Downs) managed by Australian Agricultural Company.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lake Sylvester System (Australia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lake-sylvester-system-iba-australia on 23/12/2024.