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The site was identified as important 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 List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Australasian Bittern Botaurus poiciloptilus	VU	resident	1981-2008	10 breeding pairs	A1

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2009) may differ.

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)	moderate (70-90%)	moderate (70-90%)	unfavourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Biological resource use	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Climate change and severe weather	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Pollution	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	No management plan exists but the management planning process has begun	Very little or no conservation action taking place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1913	Bokarup	Nature Reserve	2
1960	Unicup	Nature Reserve	14
1963	Kulunilup	Nature Reserve	13
1963	Cobertup	Nature Reserve	3
1969	Yarnup	Nature Reserve	-
1973	Lake Muir	Nature Reserve	57
2001	Muir-Byenup System	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	59

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Wetlands (inland)	Permanent herbaceous swamps & bogs	major (>10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	major (>10)

Western Australian State government with management the responsibility of Department of Environment and Conservation.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Muir-Unicup Wetlands (Australia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/muir-unicup-wetlands-iba-australia on 23/11/2024.