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Ramsar Wetlands in South Australia

In South Australia, there are five Wetlands of International Importance as designated under the Ramsar Convention. These wetlands are listed below.

The Coorong, and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland, Ramsar Site

Coorong and the Murray Mouth

35°56'S 139°18'E, near the mouth of the Murray River

This wetland forms at the terminus of the longest and largest river in Australia. It incorporates 23 different types of wetlands which range from freshwater to hypersaline, from dense vegetation to open water and from temporary to permanently inundated land. The patchiness of these habitat complexes and their capacity to adapt to seasonal variations in water regime allows the Coorong and Lakes to support a suite of nationally and internationally significant flora and fauna.

The site meets 8 nomination criteria specified by the Ramsar Convention. It covers an area of approximately 140,500 ha, most of which is Crown Land and National Park.

Tidal Creek, Coorong Ramsar wetland

The site provides habitat for nationally threatened species such as the Orange-bellied Parrot, Mount Lofty Ranges Southern Emu-Wren, the Murray Hardyhead, Hooded Plover, Freckled Duck, Southern Pygmy Perch, the Murray Cod and the Southern Bell Frog. The site also contains the critically endangered 'Swamps of the Fleurieu Peninsula' as well as the threatened Gahnia sedgeland ecosystem and a number of threatened plant species such as the Metallic sun-orchid. A diverse range of waterbirds visit the wetland, particularly in summer and it is an important breeding site for the Australian Pelican, Crested Tern, Fairy Tern, and the Rufous Night Heron.

The wetland system is valued for its conservation and scenic attributes and is used for outdoor recreational pursuits including wildlife observation. It is estimated that the area receives in excess of 200,000 visitors per year.The area, and particularly the Coorong, is noted for its extensive Aboriginal (traditional and archaeological), historic and geological sites and the Ngarrindjeri people continue to have a close association with the area.

A document that describes the site values and Ecological character of the Coorong, Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland of International Importance will soon be available as a live link. This document contributes to the development of the Ramsar Management Plan for the site (currently under review).

See the current management plan for The Coorong, and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland, Ramsar Site (1.2Mb PDF)

Ecological Character Description Report

The Ecological Character Description of the Coorong, Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland of International Importance was released by Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH) in November 2006. A description of the ecological character is the cornerstone of management for a Ramsar site. It provides information about the site's values and what is needed to maintain or improve those values. It helps the development of a monitoring and reporting framework, necessary to report the ongoing health of the Ramsar site.

Executive Summary of the Ecological Character Description of the Coorong, Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland of International Importance (750Kb PDF).

See the report for Ecological Character Description - Coorong, Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland of International Importance. Please note that some of these files are large and may take time to download.

Coorong and Lower Lakes Habitat Mapping Project

The habitat mapping project identifies and maps the types of habitats within the Ramsar area, for example, mud flats, rocky shorelines, sandy beaches, cliffs and all vegetation associations. These habitats are mapped using Geographical Information Software (GIS) and information about the habitat is recorded by entering information into a GIS database.

See Report (6.2Mb PDF) for more information.

Additional reports relating to the ecology of the site can be found below:
Coorong Health Check Report (1Mb PDF)
Hydrological Options Report (1.2Mb PDF)
Macrobenthic Survey Report (1.9Mb PDF)

Email: Russell Seaman

Bool and Hacks Lagoons Ramsar Site

37°08'S 140°41'E, 393 km southeast of the city of Adelaide and 24 km south of the town of Naracoorte.

Bool and Hacks Lagoons are freshwater wetlands that comprise a number of semi-permanent lagoons characterised by shallow, circular swamps and creeks. The site has an area of 3200 ha and is designated as a Game Reserve (Bool Lagoon) and Conservation Park (Hacks Lagoon). The wetlands act as a buffer storage basin in the regional drainage system and provide significant breeding habitat and drought refuge for waterbirds.

Bool Lagoon

This Ramsar site is one of the most important wetland areas remaining in the southeast of South Australia and contains important examples of floristic diversity and a number of regionally threatened wetland vegetation associations. It is a wetland of national importance for colonial nesting birds (ANCA, 1996) and hosts the largest Ibis rookery in South Australia. In total, 79 species of waterbirds have been recorded in the area, including the State Vulnerable Australasian Bittern Botaurus poiciloptilus and Freckled Duck Stictonetta naevosa. Population counts have proven difficult due to the vegetative cover, however, duck numbers are believed to vary between 15,000 and 50,000 and Black Swan numbers between 1,000 and 5,000. The Straw-necked Ibis Threskiornis spinicollis and Australian White Ibis Threskiornis molucca are common in the nesting season and numbers often exceed 50,000.

The area is becoming increasingly popular for recreational visitor use and wildlife observation and it is estimated that approximately 16,000 people per year visit the wetland. The development of the combined Ramsar and Park Management Plan is in the final stages and will be released mid 2006.

Riverland Ramsar Site

Flooded Redgums

34°02'S 140°51'E, Adjacent to the Murray River between Renmark and the Victorian and New South Wales borders.

The Riverland Ramsar site is approximately 30,600 ha in size and is recognised for the heterogeneity of its vegetation associations and wetland types.

The site is located in a semi-arid environment which is absolutely dependent on the riparian influence of the River Murray, its backwaters and anabranches. The habitat complexity is a symptom of the bio-physical variability and the frequency of inundation (which is now highly regulated).

The wetlands are part of the large Murray-Darling Basin and consist of a variety of wetland types, such as channels, anabranches, billabongs, floodplains, swamps and lakes in semi-natural condition. These wetlands specifically include Coombool Swamp, Lake Limbra, Lake Merreti, Ral Ral Creek, a section of the Murray River, Woolenook Bend's, Horshoe Lagoon and Murray River backwater. The lower Murray River system, including the Riverland Ramsar site, is a major centre for breeding waterbirds in southeastern Australia. The State Vulnerable Regent Parrot Polytelis anthopeplus, Freckled Duck Stictonetta naevosa and Australasian Bittern Botaurus poiciloptilus are among the birds that visit the area. The area is also important for its unique large stands of native River Red Gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis forest, which border the creeks and backwaters, providing excellent wildlife habitat.

The wetlands are popular for outdoor recreation, such as boating, canoeing, camping, fishing, and wildlife observation. The Management Plan for the Riverland Ramsar site is currently being developed.

Coongie Lakes Ramsar Site

27°27'S 140°00'E, near the town of Innamincka, in the far northeast of South Australia

Coongie Lakes Ramsar wetlands

The Coongie Lakes Ramsar site is a mosaic of floodplain and dunefield features approximately 1,980,000 ha in size which is located on the Cooper Creek floodplain. The Cooper Creek is recognised as one of the largest unregulated river catchments in the world

Part of the area is protected by the Coongie Lakes National Park, which sits inside the the Innamincka Regional Reserve established under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. The rest of the site is held as a Pastoral Lease area that is state-owned and managed by the Department for Environment and Heritage.

The site is an extensive system of freshwater wetlands, including lakes, interdune corridors, channels, playas, floodplains and swamps. Water for these systems is most commonly associated with flooding events in Queensland that send flow down the Cooper Creek via the Coongie Lakes enroute to Lake Eyre. The Coongie Lakes are a cluster of five semi-permanent lakes which fill during flow events along the north-west branch of the Cooper Creek. When wet these incredibly productive habitats provide the resources to support huge changes in the abundance. Waterfowl have been known to breed in their hundreds of thousands; among them the vulnerable Freckled Duck Stictonetta naevosa. The wetland also contains an undescribed and probably endemic species of freshwater tortoise Emydura sp.

Coongie Lakes is becoming increasingly important for recreation and tourism. The wetland area contains extensive Aboriginal archaeological sites and a number of important European historical sites.

A draft Management Plan for the wetlands titled 'Coongie Lakes Ramsar Wetlands: A Plan for Wise Use' (1.5Mb PDF) was released in 1999.

Banrock Station Wetland Complex Ramsar Site

34°11' S 140°20'E, River Murray floodplain, opposite the township of Overland Corner, 26 km north west of Berri.

Banrock Station Wetland Complex lies on the floodplain adjacent to the River Murray. The total area of the Ramsar site is 1,375 ha, which includes 1,068 ha floodplain wetland and 307 ha of an open mallee- box woodland buffer.

It is the first internationally important wetland site to be designated in South Australia that is entirely located on private land. The management of the Wetland Complex is the responsibility of BRL Hardy Wine Company. Banrock Swamp is a floodplain wetland that was restored in 1992 when actions were taken to reinstate wetting and drying cycles that are semi-natural and intermittent. Banrock Swamp is now one of only 20 sites in the Lower River Murray that has been returned to a near-natural hydrological regime.

Banrock Station Wetland Complex The floodplain wetlands are dominated by lignum and sedge with expanses of open water. Adjoining is an open mallee-box woodland community which provides habitat for a breeding population of the Regent Parrot Polytelis anthopeplus - a species listed as vulnerable nationally and within South Australia. Approximately 159 bird species, including several migratory species have been observed at the site. During dry periods the swamp acts as a drought refuge.

The Wetland Complex is used extensively for recreation and tourism and is the subject of a range of scientific research.

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