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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	77-250 breeding pairs	A1
Black-fronted Tern Chlidonias albostriatus	EN	breeding	1979-2008	12-37 individuals	A1

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
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Climate change and severe weather	likely in short term (within 4 years)	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid 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
-	Four Rivers Plain	Stewardship Area	<1
1911	Shenandoah	Scenic Reserve	<1
1987	Matakitaki River Headwaters	Stewardship Area	6
1987	Riverbed Maitkitaki River	Stewardship Area	<1
1987	Maruia Saddle Road	Stewardship Area	<1
1987	Riverbed Buller River	Stewardship Area	<1
1987	Matakitaki River - Thomas	Stewardship Area	<1
1987	Thomas Special Lease	Stewardship Area	<1
1987	Owen River	Stewardship Area	-
1987	Riverbed Matiri River	Stewardship Area	<1
1987	Essex St - Murchison	Stewardship Area	-
1987	Essex St - Murchison	Stewardship Area	-
1987	Nuggety Creek Road	Stewardship Area	<1
1987	Maruia River Paenga	Stewardship Area	<1
1987	Buller River - Thurlow	Stewardship Area	<1
1991	Matakitaki River Murchison	Stewardship Area	<1
1994	Maruia Falls	Scenic Reserve	<1
2005	Howard River Valley	Scientific Reserve	<1
2007	Kawatiri Junction	Stewardship Area	<1

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Introduced vegetation		major (>10)
Shrubland		major (>10)
Wetlands (inland)		major (>10)
Grassland		minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Upper Buller (New Zealand). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/upper-buller-iba-new-zealand on 22/11/2024.