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The site was identified as important in 2014 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
Black-billed Gull Larus bulleri	NT	breeding	1995-2014	1,741-3,824 breeding pairs	A1, A4i
Black-fronted Tern Chlidonias albostriatus	EN	breeding	1983-2011	37-62 breeding pairs	A1, A4i

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (2014) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2014. The most recent assessment (2014) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Natural system modifications	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Climate change and severe weather	likely in short term (within 4 years)	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	medium
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Biological resource use	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Pollution	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
Not assessed	Not assessed	Not assessed	not assessed

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1987	Milford Lagoon	Stewardship Area	3
1987	Opihi River Island	Stewardship Area	2
1987	Opihi Riverbed	Stewardship Area	<1

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Introduced vegetation		major (>10)
Shrubland		major (>10)
Wetlands (inland)		major (>10)
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine		minor (<10)
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		minor (<10)
Marine Intertidal		minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Opihi River (New Zealand). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/opihi-river-iba-new-zealand on 22/11/2024.