ECOLOGICAL CHARACTER DESCRIPTION FOR ROEBUCK BAY Wetland Research & Management ECOLOGICAL CHARACTER DESCRIPTION FOR ROEBUCK BAY Report prepared for the Department of Environment and Conservation by Bennelongia Pty Ltd 64 Jersey Street, Jolimont WA 6913 www.bennelongia.com.au In association with: DHI Water & Environment Pty Ltd 4A/Level 4, Council House 27-29 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6000 www.dhigroup.com.au Wetland Research & Management 28 William Street, Glen Forrest WA 6071 April 2009 Cover photographs: Roebuck Bay, © Jan Van de Kam, The Netherlands Introductory Notes This Ecological Character Description (ECD Publication) has been prepared in accordance with the National Framework and Guidance for Describing the Ecological Character of Australia’s Ramsar Wetlands (National Framework) (Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, 2008). The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) prohibits actions that are likely to have a significant impact on the ecological character of a Ramsar wetland unless the Commonwealth Environment Minister has approved the taking of the action, or some other provision in the EPBC Act allows the action to be taken. The information in this ECD Publication does not indicate any commitment to a particular course of action, policy position or decision. Further, it does not provide assessment of any particular action within the meaning of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth), nor replace the role of the Minister or his delegate in making an informed decision to approve an action. This ECD Publication is provided without prejudice to any final decision by the Administrative Authority for Ramsar in Australia on change in ecological character in accordance with the requirements of Article 3.2 of the Ramsar Convention. Disclaimer While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the contents of this ECD are correct, the Commonwealth of Australia as represented by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities does not guarantee and accepts no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to the currency, accuracy, completeness, reliability or suitability of the information in this ECD. Note: There may be differences in the type of information contained in this ECD publication, to those of other Ramsar wetlands. LIMITATION: This review has been prepared for use by the Department of Environment and Conservation and its agents. Bennelongia accepts no liability or responsibility in respect of any use or reliance on the review by any third party. COPYRIGHT: The document has been prepared to the requirements of the Department of Environment and Conservation. Copyright and any other Intellectual Property associated with the document belong to Bennelongia and may not be reproduced without written permission of the Department of Environment and Conservation or Bennelongia. ii CITATION Bennelongia (2009). Ecological Character Description for Roebuck Bay. Report to the Department of Environment and Conservation. Bennelongia Pty Ltd, Jolimont. FUNDING Funding for the development of this document was sourced jointly from the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) and the State and Commonwealth contributions to the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality (NAP). NHT and NAP are jointly administered by the Australian Government departments of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts and the WA Natural Resource Management Office. PROJECT TEAM Grant Pearson, Bennelongia Stuart Halse, Bennelongia Tony Chiffings, DHI Water & Environment Andrew Storey, Wetland Research & Management Susan Creagh, Wetland Research & Management ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The following are thanked in particular: Michael Coote and Jennifer Higbid, Department of Environment and Conservation, provided administrative and logistical support; Jan van de Kam for some of his magnificent photographs of Roebuck Bay and its diverse wildlife; Kandy Curran and members of the Roebuck Bay Working Group (RBWG); Ryan Vogwill advised on methods of sediment and water nutrient analysis; Danny Rogers interpreted data on shorebirds and their habitat in the Bay; Theunis Piersma and Petra de Goeij supplied invertebrate monitoring data; Sue Pegg assisted with editing and formatting of document. University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Integration and Application Network (ian.umces.edu/symbols/) for symbols used in conceptual models, Chapter 5 The following are also thanked for their assistance in developing the Ecological Character Description: Alan Byrne Department of Environment and Conservation Dave Allen Chemistry Centre (WA) Martin Baird Water Corporation Kelvin Barr Kimberley Development Council Beau Bibby Community Representative Jane Blackwood Kimberley Land Council Anthony Bodycoat Water Corporation Daryl Butcher Broome Shire Council Pia Carter Department of Fisheries Alison Coates Department of Planning and Infrastructure Tanya Compton National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Jeff Cooper TAFE Aquaculture Kandy Curran Roebuck Bay Working Group Paul Davill Bureau of Meteorology Mandy Dearden Department of Planning and Infrastructure David Deeley Crab Creek Management Committee Rob Doria Department of Environment and Conservation iii Guy Dutson Birds Australia Sharon Ferguson Department of Environment and Conservation Zeeta Files Broome Tourism Elsta Foy Broome Shire Council Fiona Galloway Department of Environment and Conservation Petra de Goeij Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research Peter Godfrey Department of Fisheries Rachel Green Department of Fisheries Sharon Griffith Crab Creek Management Committee Chris Hassell Community Representative Bob Hickey Washington State University Rebecca Ince Department of Planning and Infrastructure Andrew Jenner Bureau of Meteorology Ros Jessop Australian Wader Studies Group Vic Justice Local Government Authority Jan Lewis Community Representative Pat Lowe Community Representative Maria Manne Environs Kimberley Anna Mardling Kimberley Land Council Jenny McGuire Chemistry Centre (WA) Neil McKenzie Rubibi Traditional Owner Kingsley Miller Department of Environment and Conservation Clive Minton Australasian Wader Studies Group Steve Newman Department of Fisheries Edward Oldmeadow Parsons Brinckerhoff Theunis Piersma University of Groningen Bob Prince Department of Environment and Conservation Mark Quicke Broome Hovercraft Liz Rosenberg Community Representative Rob Schuckard Birds Australia Andrew Silcocks Birds Australia Phil Smyth Australian Bureau of Statistics Andrea Spencer Broome Bird Observatory Neil Sumner Department of Fisheries Ralph Talbot-Smith Department of Planning and Infrastructure Jacinta Thompson Department of Water Lee Tibbits United States Geological Service Alaska Jan van de Kam International Photographer Kaye Verboon Department of Environment and Conservation Tanya Vernes WWF Australia Patrick Ward Bureau of Meteorology Peter Westgate Department of Planning and Infrastructure Tim Willing Community Representative Lisa Wright Department of Environment and Conservation iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Roebuck Bay was designated a “Wetland of International Importance” under the Ramsar Convention in June 1990. The Convention (The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat) is an intergovernmental multilateral treaty on the wise use of wetlands generally and, specifically, the conservation of designated Wetlands of International Importance. Signatory countries to the Ramsar Convention are required to formulate and implement planning to promote wise use and conservation of the nation‟s wetlands and to inform the Ramsar Secretariat at the earliest possible time if the “ecological character” of any Ramsar listed wetland has changed, or is likely to change as a result of human activity. Describing the “ecological character” of a Ramsar wetland is a fundamental step towards documenting its baseline condition so that any changes in ecological character may be identified. Ecological character is defined under the Ramsar Convention (2005) as “the combination of the ecosystem components, processes and benefits/services that characterise the wetland at a given point in time”. The methodology used to compile a description of the ecological character of Roebuck Bay is that proposed in the National Framework and Guidance for Describing the Ecological Character of Australia’s Ramsar Wetlands DEWHA (2008). There were six specific objectives of the ecological character description: . Describe the critical components, processes and benefits/services of the Roebuck Bay Ramsar site at the time of Ramsar listing. Develop a conceptual model for Roebuck Bay that shows how the components, processes and benefits/services relate to each other to create the Bay‟s ecological character. Identify gaps in the knowledge of the critical components, processes and benefits/services of the site. Identify likely threats to the ecological components, processes or services of the site. Quantify the limits of acceptable change for the key components, processes and benefits/services. Develop a framework for monitoring key values of Roebuck Bay that incorporates limits of acceptable change. The Roebuck Bay Ramsar site comprises 34,119 hectares, mostly occupied by intertidal mudflats. Waters more than 6 m deep at low tide are excluded from the site, which stretches from Campsite (a location on the northern shore of Roebuck Bay)