Australian Wetlands Database

Ramsar wetlands

Lake Pinaroo (Fort Grey Basin)

Overview

Key facts and figures:
Date of listing:	17 March 1996	Lake Pinaroo (2007), Photo: Natalie Middleton
Australian Ramsar site number:	49
Criteria:	1, 2, 3, 4
State/Territory:	New South Wales
Area:	719 hectares
Drainage Division or IMCRA region:	Lake Eyre
Wetland type:	R - Seasonal/intermittent saline/brackish/alkaline lakes and flats
Key features of the site:
Lake Pinaroo is located within Sturt National Park in the arid north-west corner of New South Wales. The lake is the largest terminal basin in the Simpson-Strzelecki Dunefields biogeographic region. Lake Pinaroo only fills when Frome Swamp overflows during intense local rainfall events. However, once full the lake holds water much longer than any other wetland within the region and can take up to 6 years to become dry again as there is no point of outflow. Therefore, it provides a reliable breeding area for a substantial number of waterbirds and is also considered to play an important role for birds migrating from surrounding wetlands including Coongie Lakes and the Paroo wetlands. Generally there is very little vegetation found on the bed of Lake Pinaroo and Neverfail is the dominant species. Coolibah regrowth is found on the high ground of the lake margins. The surrounding sand dune country is vegetated with Hopbush, Turpentine, Saltbush, Budda, and Whitewood. Sturt National Park supports an extremely diverse range of bird species and approximately 150 species have been recorded. When full, Lake Pinaroo supports large numbers of waterbirds and waders and the common species include Pink-eared Duck, Grey Teal, Black-tailed Native-hen, and Wood Duck. The Ramsar site and surrounding areas also provide valuable habitat for a number of threatened species including the Grey Falcon, Australian Bustard, Brolga, Freckled Duck, and Black-breasted Buzzard. Lake Pinaroo also supports a number of native mammals and reptiles such as Forrest's Mouse, Fat-tailed Dunnart, Sandy Inland Mouse, and Beaked Gecko. Although there are no officially recorded sites of Indigenous heritage in Lake Pinaroo, Sturt National Park has an exceptionally high density and variety of Indigenous sites including hearths, middens, ceremonial sites, quarries and abundant stone artefacts, suggesting that a large Indigenous population once occupied the area. The early explorer Charles Sturt built Fort Grey adjacent to the lake as a base from which to launch expeditions into the Simpson Desert, and there are a number of pastoral industry remnants in the area. The lands within the Ramsar Site are permanently dedicated as National Park and are currently used as a nature conservation area with tourism associated activities.
Justification of the listing criteria:
The Lake Pinaroo (Fort Grey) Ramsar site meets four of the nine criteria: Criterion 1: Lake Pinaroo is found within the Simpson-Strzelecki Dunefields biogeographic region. It is the largest terminal basin found in NSW within this biogeographic region. The size of the lake and its capacity to retain water play a crucial role for the survival of many species of plants and animals in the immediate and surrounding areas. Criterion 2: Twelve threatened animal species have been recorded at the site, including the Freckled Duck and Interior Blind Snake. The Striped-faced Dunnart, Eastern Long-eared Bat and Forrest's Mouse have been recorded in Sturt National Park and would likely occur within the Ramsar site as well. Criterion 3: When filled to capacity, Lake Pinaroo holds water much longer than any other wetland within the region, providing a reliable breeding area for substantial numbers of waterbirds. Lake Pinaroo also provides an important non-breeding refuge for birds that have bred on other wetlands, particularly inter-dune swamps that hold water for relatively short periods (four to six months). Criterion 4: Lake Pinaroo supports plant and animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles and provides refuge during adverse conditions. The lake only fills when Frome Swamp overflows during intense local rainfall events, however once full can take up to six years to become dry again. The size of the lake and its capacity to retain water play a crucial role for the survival of many species of plants and animals. It can support up to forty waterbird species and acts as an important stop-over site for migratory wading birds.
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):	Lake Pinaroo (Fort Grey Basin) RIS - PDF \| RTF
Ecological Character Description (ECD):	Lake Pinaroo Ramsar Site (2008) Ecological Character Description
Management Plan (MP):	Sturt National Park Plan of Management 1996
Additional information provided to the Ramsar Secretariat:
Other information:	New South Wales 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:
Briggs, S.V. (1982). Food habits of the Freckled Duck and associated waterfowl in North-western New South Wales. Waterfowl 33, 88-93. Bureau of Meterology (1993). CDCD (Climatic Data Compact Disc), Space-Time Research Pty. Ltd., Melbourne. Cunningham, G.M., Mulham, W.E., Milthorpe, P.L., & Leigh, J.H. (1981). Plants of Western New South Wales, Soil Conservation Service of New South Wales. Goodrick, G. (1984). Wetlands of North-western New South Wales Occasional Paper No. 6, New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service. New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (1994). Sturt National Park Draft Plan of Management, New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service. Marchant, S. & Higgins, P.J. (1990). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds, Volume 1, Part B, Oxford University Press, Melbourne. Thackway, R. & Cresswell, I.D. (1995). Towards an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia: A framework for setting priorities in the National Reserves System Cooperative Program, Australian Nature Conservation Agency, Canberra.