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• Reference and further resources

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
Musk Duck Biziura lobata	LC	non-breeding (1981–2008)	2,000 birds	A4i
Banded Stilt Cladorhynchus leucocephalus	LC	non-breeding (1981–2008)	10,000 birds	A4i
Hooded Plover Thinornis cucullatus	VU	non-breeding (1995–1999)	43–606 adults	A1, 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 (2019) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	moderate (70–90%)	moderate (70–90%)	poor

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>90%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>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
Biological resource use	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Human intrusions and disturbance	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	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
Most of area (50–90%) covered (including the most critical parts for important bird species)	A compre­hensive and appropriate management plan exists that aims to maintain or improve the populations of qualifying bird species	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	medium

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1914	Woody Lake	Nature Reserve (Ia)	8
1953	Mullet Lake	Nature Reserve (Ia)	14
1973	Lake Warden	Nature Reserve (Ia)	15
1973	Unnamed WA32259	Nature Reserve (Ia)	<1

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	major (>10)

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

The IBA overlaps with four nature reserves managed by the Department of Environment and Conservation but also includes private land e.g. north of Mullet Lake.

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