Ninth and Little Waterhouse Islands


IBA Justification

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
Black-faced Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscescens LC resident (1999) 595 pairs A4i
Pacific Gull Larus pacificus LC resident (1985) 55 pairs A4i

IBA Conservation

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2009. The most recent assessment (2008) is shown below.

IBA conservation assessment
Year of assessment State Pressure Response
2008 not assessed medium not assessed
Whole site assessed? State assessed by Accuracy of information
yes unset medium

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat Timing Scope Severity Result
Transportation and service corridors happe­ning now some of popul­ation/area (10–49%) slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations) medium
Human intrusions and disturbance happe­ning now most of popul­ation/area (50–90%) no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations) low
Invasive and other problematic species and genes happe­ning now most of popul­ation/area (50–90%) 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

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation Planning Action Result
Not assessed Not assessed Not assessed not assessed

IBA Protection

Year Protected Area Designation (management category) % coverage of IBA
2005 Little Waterhouse Island Nature Reserve (Ia) 6
2012 Ninth Island Conservation Area (V) 37

Habitats

Habitat % of IBA Habitat detail
Shrubland major (>10) Chenopod shrubs, samphire shrubs and forblands
Marine Coastal/Supratidal -

Land use

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

Land ownership
Some of Ninth Island is privately owned. The remainder of Ninth Island and all of Little Waterhouse Island is Crown Land.


Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Ninth and Little Waterhouse Islands (Australia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/ninth-and-little-waterhouse-islands-iba-australia on 23/12/2024.