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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 IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('key species') at the site:

Species	Red List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis	LC	breeding (1995)	12,300 individuals	A4i
Australian Pelican Pelecanus conspicillatus	LC	breeding (1993)	5,000 breeding pairs	A4i
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus	LC	breeding (1995)	3,250 individuals	A4i

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.

Pressure (threats to the key species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Natural system modifications	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium

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

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Wetlands (inland)	100	Ephemeral

Land use	% of IBA
rangeland/pastureland	100

Four pastoral leasehold properties (Anthony Lagoon, Rockhampton Downs, Brunchilly and Eva Downs) managed by companies including Australian Agricultural Company and Heytesbury Beef.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: Tarrabool Lake-Eva Downs Swamp System (Australia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/tarrabool-lake-eva-downs-swamp-system-iba-australia on 08/01/2025.