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Ashmore Reef Commonwealth Marine Reserve Information Sheet on EAA Flyway Network Sites Information Sheet on EAA Flyway Network Sites (SIS) – 2017 version Available for download from http://www.eaaflyway.net/about/the-flyway/flyway-site-network/ Categories approved by Second Meeting of the Partners of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership in Beijing, China 13-14 November 2007 - Report (Minutes) Agenda Item 3.13 Notes for compilers: 1. The management body intending to nominate a site for inclusion in the East Asian - Australasian Flyway Site Network is requested to complete a Site Information Sheet. The Site Information Sheet will provide the basic information of the site and detail how the site meets the criteria for inclusion in the Flyway Site Network. When there is a new nomination or an SIS update, the following sections with an asterisk (*), from Questions 1-14 and Question 30, must be filled or updated at least so that it can justify the international importance of the habitat for migratory waterbirds. 2. The Site Information Sheet is based on the Ramsar Information Sheet. If the site proposed for the Flyway Site Network is an existing Ramsar site then the documentation process can be simplified. 3. Once completed, the Site Information Sheet (and accompanying map(s)) should be submitted to the Flyway Partnership Secretariat. Compilers should provide an electronic (MS Word) copy of the Information Sheet and, where possible, digital versions (e.g. shapefile) of all maps. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Name and contact details of the compiler of this form*: Full name: Dr Mark Carey EAAF SITE CODE FOR OFFICE USE ONLY: Institution/agency: Migratory Species Section Wildlife, Heritage and Marine Division Department of the Environment and Energy E A A F 1 3 2 Address : GPO Box 787, Canberra, ACT 2601 Australia 1 Information Sheet on EAA Flyway Network Sites Telephone: Fax numbers: E-mail address: 2. Date this sheet was completed*: July 2016 3. Country*: Australia 4. Name of the Flyway Network site*: Ashmore Reef Commonwealth Marine Reserve 5. Map of site*: 6. Geographical coordinates (latitude/longitude, in decimal degrees)*: Latitude: 12° 20’ S, Longitude: 123° 00’ E 2 Information Sheet on EAA Flyway Network Sites 7. Elevation*: 0 -3 m above sea level. 8. Area*: 58, 300 hectares, total land area ~55 ha 9. General overview of the site*: Ashmore Reef, contained within the Ashmore Reef Commonwealth Marine Reserve (the Reserve), is one of only three emergent oceanic reefs present within the north-eastern Indian Ocean, and is the only one in this region with vegetated islands. The Reserve is comprised of numerous marine habitats and consequently supports an important and diverse range of species. The internationally significant sea snake community, the potentially genetically distinct population of Dugong, the highly diverse marine invertebrate fauna, and the numerous endemic species (either to the Reserve or the oceanic reefs in the region) supported by the Reserve are particularly noteworthy. Furthermore, the Reserve includes important seabird and turtle nesting sites and supports large populations of migratory shorebirds. 10. Justification of Flyway Site Network criteria*: This Flyway Site, meets the following criteria: a. Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) criteria for internationally important sites for migratory waterbirds. That is: Criterion 2: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it supports vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered species or threatened ecological communities. Criterion 5: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 20,000 or more waterbirds. Criterion 6: A wetland should be considered internationally important if it regularly supports 1% of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterbird. The Ashmore Reef Commonwealth Marine Reserve supports significant and diverse populations of migratory waterbirds. Ninety-three bird species have been recorded in the Reserve plus three additional species sighted at sea outside the Reserve (Milton 1999). These include significant populations of seabirds and shorebirds, including more than 40 species that are listed under the Japan-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA), China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA) and the Republic of Korea-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (ROKAMBA). The Reserve is most important to populations of seabirds and migratory shorebirds at critical stages in their lifecycles. It has been estimated that the Reserve supports in the order of 100,000 breeding seabirds of 16 species (Clarke et al. 2011). 3 Information Sheet on EAA Flyway Network Sites The Ashmore islands are regarded as supporting some of the most important seabird colonies on the North West Shelf, Australia. It has been estimated that the Reserve supports in the order of 100,000 breeding seabirds of 16 species and four heron species (Milton 1999, Clarke et al. 2011). Large colonies of Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata (max count 45,000; 1% = 12,000), Greater Crested Tern Sterna bergii (max count 5,000; 1% = 1,000), Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus (max count 2,000; 1% = 1,000), Common Noddy Anous stolidus (max count 54,000; 1% = 10,000), Brown Boobies (max count 5,000; 1% = 2,000) and Lesser Frigatebirds (max count 4,000; 1% = 385) breed on the islands. Smaller breeding colonies of Black Noddy and Lesser Noddy also occur on the islands (Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service 1989, Stokes and Hinchey 1990, Clarke et al. 2011). Max count (1979 – 2010) (See Clarke et al. 2011) Species West Island Middle Island East Island Wedge-tailed Shearwater 60 0 0 Red-tailed Tropicbird 24 2 6 White-tailed Tropicbird 8 6 2 Eastern Reef Egret 700 0 0 Masked Booby 0 30 25 Red-footed Booby 0 220 40 Brown Booby 0 5,000 3,000 Great Frigatebird 0 65 10 Lesser Frigatebird 0 2,504 2,000 Greater Crested Tern 0 2,814 2,700 Bridled Tern 0 239 2,400 Sooty Tern 0 40,000 25,000 Common Noddy 0 17,000 54,000 Black Noody 0 180 1,500 Lesser Noddy 0 120 20 The Reserve provides an important habitat for many migratory shorebirds that use the Reserve’s islands and sand cays as feeding and resting areas during their migration. Thirty species of migratory shorebird have been recorded on Ashmore Reef. The Bar-tailed Godwit, Common Greenshank, Sanderling, Grey Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Grey-tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes and the Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres (Milton 1999, Swann 2001, Clarke et al. 2011) have been recorded using the Reserve during their migration, in numbers of international significance (more than 1% of the East Asian –Australasian Flyway population). A number of these migratory shorebirds are listed on the IUCN Red List: Far Eastern Curlew and Great Knot as Endangered; Curlew Sandpiper, Bar-tailed Godwit and Red Knot as Near Threatened. Species Max count (1979 – 2010) % Flyway population EPBC Act Status* 4 Information Sheet on EAA Flyway Network Sites Bar-tailed Godwit 4,560 1.4 CR/VU Common Greenshank 590 1.0 Grey-tailed Tattler 1,791 3.6 Ruddy Turnstone 1,708 4.9 Sanderling 1,132 5.1 Grey Plover 1,511 1.2 Greater Sand Plover 2,559 2.3 VU Whimbrel 536 0.5 Terek Sandpiper 216 0.4 Great Knot 1,592 0.4 CR Red-necked Stint 1,530 0.5 Curlew Sandpiper 850 0.5 CR Pacific Golden Plover 746 0.7 Swinhoe’s Snipe 1 Black-tailed Godwit 8 Little Curlew 50 Far Eastern Curlew 4 CR Common Redshank 1 Marsh Sandpiper 1 Common Sandpiper 9 Asian Dowitcher 8 Red Knot 55 EN Little Stint 1 Sharp-tailed Sandpiper 3 Red-necked Phalarope 2 Broad-billed Sandpiper 1 Beach Stone-curlew 1 Black-winged Stilt 14 Lesser Sand Plover 32 EN Oriental Plover 2 Masked Lapwing 1 Oriental Pratincole 1 Australian Pratincole 2 *Status as of July 2016 under the Australian Government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 5 Information Sheet on EAA Flyway Network Sites Between October-November and March-April flocks of Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres, Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus, Bar-Tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica, Common Sandpiper Tringa hypoleucos, Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus, Red-Necked Stint Calidris ruficollis and Grey-tailed Tattler Tringa brevipes utilise the Reserve during migration between Australia and the Northern Hemisphere (Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service 1989). Flocks of migratory shorebirds at the Reserve have been estimated to total on occasion at least 18,000 birds (28 January 2005, Clarke 2010). In addition, thirty species of shorebird have been recorded at least once on Ashmore Reef, representing almost 70% of the species that regularly migrate to Australia (Watkins 1993). 11. Wetland Types*: A -- Permanent shallow marine waters in most cases less than six metres deep at low tide; includes sea bays and straits. B -- Marine subtidal aquatic beds; includes kelp beds, sea-grass beds, tropical marine meadows. C -- Coral reefs. 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. 12. Jurisdiction*: The Territory of Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island is administered by the Commonwealth of Australia. 13. Management authority*: Director of National Parks Parks Australia Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities GPO Box 787, Canberra, ACT, 2601 Australia 14. Bibliographical references*: ANPWS. (1989) Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve. Plan of Management. Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service, Canberra. 65p. Clark, P. Ashmore Reef; Preliminary Archaeological and Ethnographic Field Report 1996. (Unpublished report prepared for Parks Australia North 1998). Clark, P. (2000) Ashmore Reef: Archaeological Evidence of Past Visitation. Bulletin of the Australian Institute for Maritime Archaeology 24:1-8. Clarke, R.H. (2010) The Status of Seabirds and Shorebirds at Ashmore Reef and Cartier and Browse Islands : Monitoring program for the Montara Well release – Pre-impact Assessment and first Post-Impact Field Survey.
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