Current view: Text account
Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
The Yalgorup IBA includes the wetlands of the Yalgorup National Park, south of Mandurah and in the shires of Murray, Waroona and Harvey in Western Australia. This IBA lies as close as 2 km from the Peel-Harvey IBA but appears to be used by waterbirds as a distinct wetland system. The National Park was designated in February 1990 and extended in 2001 to comprise the major wetlands of Lakes Clifton, Preston, Boundary, Pollard, Martins Tank, Yalgorup, Hayward and Newnham, and adjacent bushlands. The Yalgorup lakes vary from about 1-4 metres in depth and are evaporative salt lakes principally supplied by fresh groundwater and precipitation. Lake Clifton has extensive areas of groundwater seepage, which result in pronounced horizontal salinity gradients; away from the shoreline the salinity varied from about 8 to 32 ppt during the 1980s, however, salinity measurements from the late 1990s ranged from 25 to 49 ppt. Median annual rainfall at Mandurah is 879 mm, mostly falling in May-August. Some of the lakes are fringed by samphire flats and rushes and sedges. Beyond this is a zone of trees dominated by Melaleuca around hyposaline lakes; and Melaleuca cuticularis and Acacia cyclops around hypersaline lakes. Large parts of the shoreline throughout Yalgorup have been cleared, mostly for agriculture. The IBA could be extended to include the bushland if it is shown to support significant numbers of Carnaby's Black-Cockatoos, which are relatively common non-breeding visitors. The IBA is part of the Peel-Yalgorup Ramsar site.
The IBA has supported more than 1% of the world population of two species, each on a single occasion: 2500 Red-capped Plovers in 2001 but max 6060 from 1994-1999 (Atlas of Australian Birds database; Russell 2000) and 2210 Red-necked Avocet at Lake Clifton in 1988 but max 304 in 1994-1999 (DEWHA 2008; Russell 2000). Other high counts from Lake Clifton include Pacific Black Duck (4308 in 1990), Little Black Cormorant (2007 in 1986) and breeding Great Crested Grebe (max 190); and at Lake Pollard, up to 2000 Black Swan (DEWHA 2008). Fairy Terns occur occasionally, recorded in four of 492 (0.8%) Atlas of Australian Birds surveys from 1998 to 2008 (Atlas of Australian Birds database), max 50 at Lake Clifton in 1988 (DEWHA 2008).
Non-bird biodiversity: The site also holds significant populations of three threatened mammals, Chuditch (Dasyurus geoffroii), Southern Brown Bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus) and Western Ringtail Possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
A management plan for the entire Peel-Yalgorup System has been commissioned and will soon be published by the Department of Environment and Conservation.
Wetland portion of the Yalgorup National Park.
Western Australia state government with management the responsibility of DEC.
Thanks to William Rutherford and Michael Craig for compiling the nomination and to Bill Russell for his comments.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Yalgorup (Australia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/yalgorup-iba-australia on 23/11/2024.
