Current view: Text account
Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
This IBA incorporates Bush Heritage's Charles Darwin Reserve and Australian Wildlife Conservancy's Mount Gibson Sanctuary, as well as some unallocated Crown Land. This IBA is situated in pastoral country adjacent to the wheatbelt, about 280 km north-east of Perth. The IBA was identified from expert opinion that it supports a significant viable population of Malleefowl, as determined by records in relevant databases (notably the Malleefowl Preservation Group database of 1200 sightings over 15 years, WA Dept of Environment and Conservation, WA Museum and Birds Australia Atlas), and other literature and knowledge, that population viability is greatest within large areas of contiguous mallee or Acacia shrubland. Adjacent pastoral stations also support Malleefowl in smaller numbers and could be added to the IBA if management is improved to conserve numbers and breeding success of this species. The IBA possesses considerable floristic diversity and contains many habitat types largely absent in the Western Australian wheatbelt, due to clearing for agriculture. Importantly, it lies on a transitional vegetation zone called the ‘mulga-eucalypt line’ straddling two major bioregions; the arid Eremean botanical province to the north and the mesic south-west botanical province to the south. The site consists primarily of Acacia shrublands and open eucalypt woodlands with various other vegetation communities (e.g. mallee, herbfields, mulga shrublands, and halophytic shrublands) present in smaller amounts. The IBA generally receives 280mm of rainfall a year, and although highly variable, rain falls mostly in winter.
Other birds have not been documented for this IBA.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Investigate the impact of fire regimes on Malleefowl persistence. Investigate the effect of fox control on Malleefowl and meso-predators also (i.e. feral cats etc).
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
http://www.bushheritage.org.au/browse.asp?ContainerID=reserves_Charles_Darwin
http://www.australianwildlife.org/mtgibson.asp
The IBA contains the Bush Heritage owned, Charles Darwin Reserve (formerly the White Wells property) and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy owned Mount Gibson Sanctuary. It also has a small overlap with the Ninghan Indigenous Protected Area.
Charles Darwin Reserve is managed by Bush Heritage Australia, Mount Gibson Station is managed by Australian Wildlife Conservancy, unallocated Crown Land is vested in the state government.
Site access / Land-owner requests
Permission is required to enter Charles Darwin Reserve and Mount Gibson Sanctuary.
Blair Parsons wrote the nomination. Staff of Australian Wildlife Conservancy and Bush Heritage, including Sandy Gilmour, helped provide data and advice.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Mount Gibson and Charles Darwin (Australia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/mount-gibson-and-charles-darwin-iba-australia on 27/12/2024.
