Current view: Text account
Site description (2008 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA is situated around Yambuk, between Portland and Port Fairy, in south-western Victoria. It comprises wetland vegetation around Lake Yambuk and adjacent protected areas which have suitable habitat for Orange-bellied Parrots. The coastal areas of the IBA are dominated by coastal dune scrub (i.e. a closed shrubland formation, featuring species such as Coast Wattle and Coastal Beard-Heath, with scattered emergent trees). Behind the coastal dune scrub lies Lake Yambuk, which receives freshwater inflows from the Eumeralla and Shaw Rivers, and from tidal seawater incursions. The estuary which connects Lake Yambuk to the ocean is sometimes closed by a build-up of silt, which causes the lake to be flooded by freshwater until the entrance of the estuary is opened manually according to local management prescriptions. The margins of Lake Yambuk support saltmarsh, reed beds and other forms of wetland vegetation. To the north of the lake lie some small patches of closed swamp scrub and low open eucalypt woodland. The IBA could be extended along a 40 km stretch of coast to Allestree to include a significant population of the near threatened Hooded Plover. A large part of the IBA is owned and managed as an Indigenous Protected Area (Deen Maar) by the Framlingham Aboriginal Trust.
More than 140 species of bird have been recorded from Yambuk Lake (including the wetlands and estuary), Deen Maar Indigenous Protected Area and Yambuk Beach. This figure includes a number of species listed under the China-Australia and/or Japan-Australia Migratory Bird Agreements (Moyne Shire Council 2007b). Eighteen records of Striated Fieldwren and one record each of Australian Painted Snipe, Fairy Tern and Flame Robin were obtained during 52 Atlas of Australian Birds surveys undertaken from 1998 to 2008 (Atlas of Australian Birds database).
Non-bird biodiversity: The Eumeralla River, which provides water to Lake Yambuk and its wetlands, is the primary stronghold for the Dwarf Galaxias (Department of Crown Lands and Survey 1981), a species of fish that is listed as threatened under both the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988. Several species of plants considered to be rare or threatened in Victoria, including the Coast Ballart, are present on the margins of the Eumeralla River and Lake Yambuk (Moyne Shire Council 2007a).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Improve fencing to exclude livestock from conservation reserves. Determine potential impacts of proposed future changes to the hydrology of the Eumeralla River-Yambuk Lake system and make planning submissions if necessary. Monitor and manage impacts of foxes, dogs and people on beach-nesting birds.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Significant restoration and revegetation activities are being conducted on Deen Maar Indigenous Protected Area and other public and private lands within the IBA. Orange-bellied Parrots were given supplementary feeding at Riversmeet Farm in 1999.
The IBA overlaps with Deen Maar Indigenous Protected Area and a section of the Yambuk Wetlands Nature Conservation Reserve.
State or local government; indigenous; private.
Site access / Land-owner requests
Yambuk Wetlands Nature Conservation Reserve and Eumeralla (Yambuk) Coastal Reserve are unrestricted public access. Access to Deen Maar Indigenous Protected Area and privately-owned areas is at the discretion of land-holders.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Yambuk (Australia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/yambuk-iba-australia on 22/11/2024.
