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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
Pink-eared Duck Malacorhynchus membranaceus	LC	resident (1983–2005)	12,800–50,000 birds	A4i
Freckled Duck Stictonetta naevosa	LC	resident (1983–2005)	1,791 birds	A4i
Grey Teal Anas gracilis	LC	resident (1983–2005)	20,000–60,000 birds	A4i
Red-necked Avocet Recurvirostra novaehollandiae	LC	non-breeding (1983–2005)	2,000–18,000 birds	A4i
Red-capped Plover Charadrius ruficapillus	LC	resident (1983–2005)	5,092 birds	A4i
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata	VU	non-breeding (1983–2005)	37,552 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
Climate change and severe weather	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>90%)	rapid decline (>30% over 3 gener­ations)	very high
Natural system modifications	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	very high
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>90%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Human intrusions and disturbance	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low
Biological resource use	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

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Some of area covered (10–49%)	A management plan exists, but it is out of date or not compre­hensive	Very little or no conservation action taking place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1997	Kinchega	National Park (II)	4

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Wetlands (inland)	major (>10)	Ephemeral; Freshwater lakes & pools

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	major (>10)
water management	major (>10)
agriculture	minor (<10)

State government (New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Water and Energy) and private.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Menindee Lakes (Australia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/menindee-lakes-iba-australia on 18/12/2024.