Ecological character description for the Banrock Station wetland complex
for
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
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Summary
Banrock Station Wetland Complex is located on the River Murray floodplain immediately downstream of Kingston on Murray in the Riverland of South Australia. The site is a floodplain wetland complex typical of the lower River Murray floodplain. It comprises areas of freshwater and areas of secondary salinised floodplain with discrete wetland basins and channels. The largest wetland basin is referred to as Banrock Lagoon.
The dominant wetland vegetation types on the floodplain include river red gum woodland, black box woodland, Lignum shrubland, and sedgelands. Aquatic herblands are present in Banrock Lagoon providing significant habitat value for aquatic biota.
The site supports a high diversity of ecological communities and species which includes over 120 species of plants, 138 species of birds including 14 species of waterbirds and wetland dependent species listed as threatened. There are over 85 species of woodland birds, eight of which are considered rare in South Australia. Seven native mammals, 14 species of reptiles and eight amphibians have been also been recorded on site.
The Ecological Character Description is a fundamental management tool for site managers, forming the basis of management planning and action as well as including guidance on site monitoring requirements to detect changes in the ecological character of the site. This document will guide future management planning to promote conservation and wise use of wetland resources at the Ramsar site.