Australian Wetlands Database

Ramsar wetlands

Eighty-mile Beach

Overview

Key facts and figures:
Date of listing:	07 June 1990	A section of the 220km of coastline of Eighty-mile Beach (2008), Photo: Dragi Markovic
Australian Ramsar site number:	34
Criteria:	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
State/Territory:	Western Australia
Area:	175 487 hectares
Drainage Division or IMCRA region:	Northwest IMCRA Province; North Western Plateau
Wetland type:	E - Sand, shingle or pebble shores; includes sand bars, spits and sandy islets; includes dune systems and humid dune slacks G - Intertidal mud, sand or salt flats I - Intertidal forested wetlands; includes mangrove swamps, nipah swamps and tidal freshwater swamp forests R - Seasonal/intermittent saline/brackish/alkaline lakes and flats Sp - Permanent saline/brackish/alkaline marshes/pools U - Non-forested peatlands; includes shrub or open bogs, swamps, fens Xf - Freshwater, tree-dominated wetlands; includes freshwater swamp forests, seasonally flooded forests, wooded swamps on inorganic soils Xp - Forested peatlands; peatswamp forests Y - Freshwater springs; oases
Key features of the site:
Eighty-mile Beach Ramsar site, located between Port Headland and Broome in north Western Australia, is made up of Eighty-mile Beach and, 40 km to the east, Mandora Salt Marsh. Eighty-mile Beach is a 220 km section of coastline and adjacent intertidal mudflats. Mandora Salt Marsh includes two large seasonal wetlands and a series of small permanent mound springs. A small number of tidal creeks dissect the beach, including Salt Creek which is fed partly from groundwater and has permanent surface water. The Mandora Salt Marsh lakes fill predominantly from rainfall and runoff in the wet season then dry back to clay beds. The mound springs likely come from water deep within the Broome sandstone aquifer rising through fractures in the rock, and resulting in permanent mostly freshwater surface water. The permanence of these freshwater wetlands makes them extremely important to biodiversity in the arid area, providing habitat and drinking water in an otherwise dry environment. Mandora Soak contains peat deposits estimated to be about 7 000 years old. Salt Creek, in Mandora Salt Marsh, contains one of only two inland mangrove communities in Australia. Other vegetation includes paperbark, samphire and freshwater aquatic plants. Eighty-mile Beach is characterised by extensive mudflats supporting an abundance of macroinvertebrates which provide food for large numbers of shorebirds. More than 472,000 migratory waders have been counted on the mudflats during the September to November period. The site is considered to be one of the major arrival and departure areas for migratory shorebirds visiting Australia, particularly on southward migration. It is one of the most important sites in the world for the migration of Great Knot. Flatback Turtle regularly nest at scattered locations along Eighty-mile Beach. Eighty-mile Beach is used for beach based recreation, including four-wheel driving, motorcycling, fishing and shell collecting. Mandora Salt Marsh is mainly used for cattle grazing. The site is traditionally part of Karajarri Country in the north, Nyangumarta Country in the south and Ngarla Country in the southern end of Eighty-mile Beach. The site has artefacts such as middens, pinka (large baler shells used to scoop and carry water for drinking), wilura (used for sharpening spear heads), axes, and flakes, and kurtanyanu and jungari (grinding stones).
Justification of the listing criteria:
The Eighty-Mile Beach Ramsar site meets six of the nine criteria: Criterion 1: Eighty-mile Beach represents the greatest extent of continuous intertidal mudflat in excellent condition within the Northwest (IMCRA) bioregion. In addition, Mandora Salt Marsh contains an important and rare group of wetlands within the arid North Western Plateau bioregion In particular the peat mound springs can be considered both bioregionally rare and outstanding examples of this wetland type in Western Australia. Criterion 2: The site supports the flatback turtle listed as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. Criterion 3: The Mandora Salt Marsh contains temporary and permanent wetlands in a predominantly arid bioregion (Western Plateau) and has been recognised as important refugia for biological diversity in arid Australia. The inland grey mangroves lining Salt Creek represent the most inland occurrence of this species. Criterion 4: The Eighty-mile Beach Ramsar site is considered one of the most important sites for stop-over and feeding by migratory shorebirds in Australia; second only to Roebuck Bay in the total number of migratory species for which it is considered internationally important. Furthermore, Eighty-mile Beach represents the most important site internationally (in terms of total number of individuals) for nine species of migratory shorebird in the East Asian-Australasian flyway. Mandora Salt Marsh supports the critical life stage of breeding for at least 13 species of waterbird, including large numbers of Australian pelicans and black swans. In addition, the site is significant for the breeding of at least one species of marine turtle (flatback). Criterion 5: Eighty-mile Beach is considered to regularly support in excess of 500 000 birds Total counts (summer) for just a 60 km stretch of the 220 km intertidal site are generally more than 200 000. There is a record of 2.88 million oriental pratincoles on the beach in February 2004. Criterion 6: Eighty-mile Beach supports more than one per cent of the flyway population (or one per cent of the Australian population for resident species) of 21 waterbirds, including 17 migratory species and four Australian residents: greater sand plover, oriental plover, red-capped plover (resident), grey plover, bar-tailed godwit, red knot, great knot, red-necked stint, sanderling, sharp-tailed sandpiper, curlew sandpiper, eastern curlew, little curlew, common greenshank, grey-tailed tattler, terek sandpiper, ruddy turnstone, pied oystercatcher (resident); oriental pratincole, black-winged stilt (resident) and great egret (resident).
Please see the More Information page for additional information on this Ramsar site and access to the Ramsar Information sheets and other associated site documents.

More information

The Ramsar Convention encourages the development of three key documents for each Ramsar site: Ramsar Information Sheets - required at the time of nomination of a site to the List of Wetlands of International Importance, are to be updated every six years, or when there are significant changes in the site's ecological character. Ecological Character Descriptions - describe the ecological character of the site at the time of its listing as a wetland of international importance. Management Plans - used to formulate and implement planning so as to promote the wise use and conservation of wetlands. For more information about these documents see the Ramsar documents page. Along with the available site documents, additional information and resources on this Ramsar site are listed below. Please note that apart from the Ramsar Information Sheets, not all documents are currently available for every Australian Ramsar site.
Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS):	Eighty-mile Beach RIS - PDF \| RTF
Ecological Character Description (ECD):	Ecological Character Description of the Eighty-Mile Beach Ramsar site
Management Plan (MP):	Management plan for the Eighty-Mile Beach Ramsar site
Additional information provided to the Ramsar Secretariat:
Other information:	Western Australian Ramsar sites National Reserve System Species Profiles and Threats database Protected Matters search tool Migratory Species in Australia National Landcare Programme Weeds in Australia and weed management

Additional resources:
Australian Nature Conservation Agency. 1996. A Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia (Second Edition). Australian Nature Conservation Agency, Canberra.[Current version on-line at: http://www.environment.gov.au/water/wetlands] Bamford M, Watkins D and Bancroft W. in prep, Migratory shorebirds of the East Asian - Australasian Flyway; Population Estimates and Important Sites. Wetlands International Global Series and International Wader Studies Series. Beard, J.S. 1967. An inland occurrence of mangroves. Western Australian Naturalist 10, 112-115. Bryant, E. 2001. Tsunami: The Underrated Hazard. Cambridge University Press. Burbidge, N. 1944. Ecological notes on the vegetation of Eighty-Mile Beach. Journal of Proceedings of the Royal Society of Western Australia 28, 157-164. Chalmers, C. 1986. Draft Coastal Management Plan Cape Keraudren. Bulletin 250, Department of Conservation and Environment, Perth. Craig, G. 1983. Pilbara Coastal Flora. Department of Agriculture, South Perth.1-103. Cummings, B. and Hardy, A. 2000. Revision of the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) and Development of Version 5.1 - Summary Report. Environment Australia, Canberra. (Also available online at http://www.ea.gov.au/parks/nrs/ibra/version5-1/summary-report/index.html). DCLM. 1994. A Representative Marine Reserve System for Western Australia. Report of the Marine Parks and Reserves Selection Working Group. Department of Conservation and Land Management, Perth. Fallaw, J. and Hayward, R. 1994. Wader Populations in North-West Australia. Report to the Australian Nature Conservation Agency. Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union. Graham, G. (Ed.). 1999. A Land Management Assessment of Mandora Marsh and Its Immediate Surrounds. Unpublished survey report prepared by the Department of Conservation and Land Management, Perth. Hassell, C. 2001. 80-Mile Beach Project. Environs Kimberley Bulletin 20 (December issue). IMCRA Technical Group. 1998. Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia: An ecosystem-based classification for marine and coastal environments. Version 3.3. Environment Australia, Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Canberra. Jacobs, S.1992. New species of Triodia and Plectrachne (Poaceae) from the Kimberley. Nuytsia 8 (2), 219-223. Jessop, R. and Collins, P. 2000. The effects of cyclonic weather conditions on the bird life around Broome, Western Australia. Stilt 36, 11-15. Jessop, R, and Minton, C. 1995. Sightings of leg-flagged waders banded in NW Australia. Stilt 26, 37-38. Jessop, R. and Minton, C. 1995. Sightings of leg-flagged waders banded at other locations and seen in NW Australia. Stilt 26, 39. Johnstone, R. 1990. Mangroves and mangrove birds of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 32, 1-120. Lane, B. (1983). AWSG research-progress report. Stilt 4, 21-22. Lane, B. and Jessop, A. (1985). Report on the 1985 north-west Australia wader studies expedition. Stilt 6, 2-16. McKenzie, G. 1985. An option for the development of the coastal plain area on Anna Plains Station. Report to Rangeland Management Branch, Department of Agriculture, Derby.1-58. Minton, C. (1982). AWSG wader expedition in north-west Australia, August/September 1982. Stilt 3, 2-4. Minton, C. and Jessop, R. 1994. The 1994 Northwest Australia Wader Expedition. Stilt 25, 8-11. Minton, C. and Jessop, R.1995. Sightings of waders leg-flagged in NW Australia - List No. 2. Stilt 27, 33. Minton, C. and Jessop, R. 1996. Further sightings of waders leg-flagged (Yellow) in North West Australia; List Number 3 - July 1996. Stilt 29, 51-52. Minton, C. and Jessop, R. 1997. Sightings of waders leg-flagged (Yellow) in North-West Australia: List Number 4 - August 1997. Stilt 31, 50-53. Minton, C. and Jessop, R. 1999. Sightings of leg-flagged waders from NW Australia: Report Number 5. Stilt 34, 41-45. Minton, C. and Jessop, R. 1999. Sightings of waders and terns leg-flagged in North-Western Australia: Report Number 6. Stilt 35, 52-58. Minton, C. and Jessop, R. 2000. Corrections to sightings of waders leg-flagged in North-Western Australia: Report Number 6. Stilt 36, 39-41. Minton, C., Jessop, R. and Collins, P. In press. North Western Australia 2003 Wader and Tern Expedition, 28th June to 19th July 2003. Stilt. Minton, C. and Martindale, J. (1982). Report on wader expedition to north-west Australia in August/September 1981. Stilt 2, 14-26. Minton, C., Sitters, H. and Jessop, R. 1997. Report on the 1996 North West Australia Wader Study Expedition, 2 March-20 April. Stilt 30, 56-65. Pattinson, V. 1993. Wader Population Management in North-West Australia. Report to the Australian Nature Conservation Agency. Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union. Pearson, G., Piersma, T., Lavaleye, M., Hickey, R. 2002. Benthos and shorebirds of the foreshore of Eighty-Mile Beach, Western Australia. In Press. Piersma, T., Lavaleye, M., Pearson, G. and Crean, M.1999. ANNABIM-99: Anna Plains Benthic Invertebrate and bird Mapping 1999. Preliminary Research Report, Broome Bird Observatory.1-15 with18 maps. Semeniuk, V., Kenneally, K. and Wilson, P. 1978. Mangroves of Western Australia. Western Australian Naturalists' Club, Perth. Handbook No. 12, 1-92. Symon, D.E. 2001. Solanum oligandrum (Solanaceae), a new species from the Great Sandy Desert, Western Australia. Nuytsia 13(3), 537-541. Watkins, D. 1991. Eighty-mile Beach Conservation Area. Unpublished submission to the Department of Conservation and Land Management. Watkins, D., Brennan, K., Lange, C., Jaensch, R. and Finlayson, M. 1997. Management planning for Ramsar Sites in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia. Wetlands International - Oceania, Canberra. Report to the Department of Conservation and Land Management, Western Australia, 1-192. Watson, G. 1996. Motor bikes on Eighty-mile Beach. Sandgroper Newsletter 3, no.1. Wilson, J. 2001. Population monitoring counts for Winter 1999, Summer 2000 and Winter 2000. Stilt 38, 64-69. Worms, E. 1944. Aboriginal place names in Kimberley, Western Australia: an etymological and mythological study. Oceania 14 (4), 284-310. Wyrwoll, K.H., McKenzie, N.L., Pedersen, B.J. and Tapley, I.J. (1986). The Great Sandy Desert of north-western Australia: the last 7 000 years. Search 17, 208-210. Yu, S. 2000. Ngapa Kunangkul: Living Water. Report prepared for Waters and Rivers Commission of Western Australia on the Aboriginal Cultural Values of Groundwater in the La Grange Sub-Basin. Centre for Anthropological Research, University of Western Australia. 1-62.