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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
Australian Ibis Threskiornis moluccus	LC	resident (1978–2005)	6,700 nests	A4i
Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis	LC	resident (1987–2005)	55,000 nests	A4i
Australasian Bittern Botaurus poiciloptilus	VU	resident (1998–2008)	4 birds	A1
Nankeen Night Heron Nycticorax caledonicus	LC	resident (1978–2005)	15,500 nests	A4i
White-necked Heron Ardea pacifica	LC	resident (1983–2005)	2,304 birds	A4i
Plumed Egret Ardea plumifera	LC	resident (1978–2005)	20,200 nests	A4i
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata	VU	non-breeding (1983–2005)	3,000 birds	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
Wetlands (inland)	very poor (<40%)	very poor (<40%)	very poor

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Natural system modifications	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	rapid decline (>30% over 3 gener­ations)	very high
Climate change and severe weather	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>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
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Human intrusions and disturbance	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Biological resource use	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Pollution	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Residential and commercial development	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Energy production and mining	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
Some of area covered (10–49%)	No management plan exists, but the management planning process has begun	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented, but these are not compre­hensive and are limited by resources and capacity	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
2012	Ginghet	Nature Reserve (Ia)	<1
2014	Macquarie Marshes	Nature Reserve (Ia)	8

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Wetlands (inland)	major (>10)	Riverine floodplains; Permanent herbaceous swamps & bogs; Rivers & streams

Land use	% of IBA
rangeland/pastureland	90
nature conservation and research	10

Private and state government (New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service).

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Macquarie Marshes (Australia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/macquarie-marshes-iba-australia on 22/12/2024.