Fivebough and Tuckerbil Wetlands Ecological Character Description

Summary

This Ecological Character Description (ECD) has been prepared to document the ecological character of Fivebough and Tuckerbil Wetlands at the time of listing as a Wetland of International Importance in 2002, in line with the National Framework and Guidance for describing the Ecological Character of Australia’s Ramsar Wetlands. It has been developed as an update to a draft Ecological Character Description which was compiled for the Fivebough and Tuckerbil Wetlands in March 2006 by the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Environment and Conservation, prior to development of the National Framework.

Fivebough and Tuckerbil Wetlands are located on separate parcels of Crown Land, less than 10 km apart, near Leeton in the Riverina region of NSW in the Murray Darling Drainage Division. Both sites are reserved for environmental protection and public recreation and Fivebough Wetland is open to the public for nature-based recreation. Fivebough Wetland receives treated effluent water from the Leeton Sewage Treatment Plant. Both sites are subject to grazing licenses for the purpose of environmental management. Surrounding land uses are primarily agricultural (grazing and cropping), rural and residential. Both sites have Aboriginal cultural significance.

Fivebough Wetland comprises permanent and intermittent fresh-brackish, shallow wetlands and Tuckerbil Wetland is a seasonal, shallow, brackish-saline wetland. Both wetlands support a high abundance and diversity of waterbirds, including migratory shorebirds and threatened species. Together the two wetlands form the Fivebough and Tuckerbil Wetlands Ramsar site, which was listed under various criteria based on its value as waterbird habitat, which is provided by the availability of extensive seasonal shallow wetlands and patchy vegetation communities.

Further information

• Fivebough and Tuckerbil Swamps - wetlands database