Current view: Text account
Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
This IBA includes all of Nadgee National Park in NSW and the eastern section of the 87,500 hectare Croajingolong National Park in Victoria. The key bird species, Eastern Bristlebird, is no longer found west of Mallacoota inlet in Victoria so this section of Croajingolong is excluded. The habitat is largely a patchy mosaic of coastal heath and eucalypt woodlands. This includes Nadgee Coastal Heath Complex and Nadgee Coastal Heath/Woodland, which occurs in exposed situations along the coast. There is a diverse range of structurally complex wet heath, mainly occurring in poorly drained areas, including Nadgee Lowland Sedge Swamp, Nadgee Tall Wet Shrub Heath and Nadgee Wet Shrub Heath. A unique wetland type occurs within the dune swales surrounding Cape Howe (Cape Howe Dune Swale). Dry Scrub occurs along the length of the proposed IBA coastline, and includes Headland Scrub and Dune Scrub (Lynette Evans pers. comm. 2005). The IBA occurs within one of the least disturbed areas of temperate coastal vegetation on the Australian mainland. This has resulted in a very high level of floristic and structural integrity, which is considered significant at the national level (Ecology Australia 1998).
A population of Ground Parrots estimated at 50 birds (J.Baker pers. comm. 2006). Small numbers of nesting Pied and Sooty Oystercatchers. Powerful, Sooty and Masked Owls occur throughout the area. Occasional sightings of Pilotbird and Pink Robin (Atlas of Australian Birds database). Striated Fieldwrens occur at an estimated density of 0.62 birds/ha in low, dry Allocasuarina/Hakea heath (Gosper and Baker 1997) and are also found at low density along the coast (D. Hollands pers. comm. 2007). A count of 25 Hooded Plover (of which nine were in Nadgee) in 2003 (M. Antos in litt. 2007); and counts of 12 Hooded between Mallacoota and Cape Howe in both 2000 and 2002 (Hooded Plover database).
Non-bird biodiversity: Thirty-seven species of threatened native animals have been recorded in Nadgee, including the long-nosed potoroo, southern brown bandicoot, yellow-bellied glider and spot-tailed quoll. Several dingo groups are present in Nadgee. There are six rare plant species, a large number of restricted species and 24 plant species that reach their southern limit of distribution.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Implement the relevant fire management strategies, notably: keep wildfire as small as possible; maintain annual monitoring of the Eastern Bristlebird population; upper biodiversity vegetation thresholds may be exceeded if it is to the advantage of the Eastern Bristlebird population; in the event of a wildfire implement long term strategic predator control in the vicinity of the refuge areas.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems has been investigating the long-term response of ground dwelling fauna after wildfire since 1972. Their research covers sections of the IBA and is one of the longest long-term research programs on mammals within Australia. Annual monitoring of the Eastern Bristlebird population has occurred since 1998. Long-term vegetation plots have been set up throughout the IBA to establish baseline data for both structure and species composition in the heaths, so that comparisons can be made in subsequent years (Lynette Evans pers. comm. 2005).
All of the Nadgee Nature Reserve and part of Croajingolong National Park.
NSW and Victorian State Governments.
Thanks to Lyn Evans and Robyn Kesby (Merimbula), Jack Baker (DEC, NSW) and Carl Gosper for information, maps and reviewing the IBA.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Nadgee to Mallacoota Inlet (Australia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/nadgee-to-mallacoota-inlet-iba-australia on 24/12/2024.
