Paroo River wetlands fact sheet
Department of the Environment and Water Resources, 2007
PDF file and map
Paroo River wetlands Ramsar site: facts & figures
Location & size
- The Paroo River Wetlands Ramsar Site is located in far north-west New South Wales (NSW) (see separate map).
- It has two components: the 71,133 ha Nocoleche Nature Reserve, approximately 180 km west of Bourke; and the 67,171 ha Peery component, which is located within the Paroo-Darling National Park, around 240 km south-west of Bourke.
- The Paroo River Wetlands Ramsar Site lies within the Murray-Darling Basin and the Great Artesian Basin.
Paroo River Wetlands, Nocoleche Nature Reserve
Photos: John Porter, NSW DECC
Ecological & cultural values
- The Paroo River is the last remaining free-flowing river in the northern Murray-Darling Basin.
- The Paroo River Ramsar Site supports a number of threatened plant and animal species, significant native fish communities and is one of the most important wetland systems for migratory waterbirds in south-eastern Australia.
- The climate in the Paroo catchment is semi-arid to arid with an annual average rainfall of 250 mm.
- As well as receiving water from upstream, the site includes many small wetlands and claypans that fill from local rainfall.
- The site also includes artesian mound springs; those at Peery Lake are the largest active complex in NSW.
- The Paroo has significant cultural and spiritual values to the traditional Indigenous owners of the Paroo River country, the Baakandji and Budjiti people.
- Some of the interesting flora and fauna found in the Ramsar site include the Water Rat, Freckled Duck, Painted Snipe, Striped Burrowing Frog, a genetically distinct population of Golden Perch, endemic crustaceans species, Salt Pipewort (one of the rarest vascular plants in NSW) and the Yapunyah gum.
Management arrangements
- Both portions of the Ramsar site are protected areas and are gazetted under the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.
- A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by the Baaakandji and Budjiti people and the National Parks managers of the Ramsar site, to recognise the input of the traditional owners in the site's nomination and establish a mechanism for their ongoing management in the wetlands.
- The NSW and Queensland Governments have signed the Paroo River Agreement. Under this agreement, both Governments have agreed to work cooperatively to maintain the natural water flows in the Paroo River system.
Ramsar listing criteria met
- There are nine criteria that sites can meet to qualify for Ramsar listing. The Paroo River Wetlands Ramsar Site met six of the nine criteria, namely:
- representative, rare, or unique example of a natural or near-natural wetland type found within the appropriate biogeographic region;
- vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities;
- populations of plant and/or animal species important for maintaining the biological diversity of a particular biogeographic region;
- plant and/or animal species at a critical stage in their life cycles, or provides refuge during adverse conditions;
- regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds; and
- supports a significant proportion of indigenous fish subspecies, species or families, life-history stages, species interactions and/or populations that are representative of wetland benefits and/or values.
Paroo River Wetlands artesian spring, Peery Lake, Paroo-Darling National Park
Photo: Alison Curtin, NSW DECC
The Ramsar Convention
- The Convention on Wetlands, also known as the Ramsar Convention, provides a framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
- The Paroo River Wetlands is Australia's 65th Ramsar site.
- Ramsar sites are protected as matters of national environmental significance under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
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