Waterbirds and threatened species

The Western District Lakes Ramsar site supports a high abundance and diversity of waterbird species. 75 wetland dependent bird species have been recorded; 20 of these are migratory shorebirds listed under international migratory bird agreements including the red-necked stint, sharp-tailed sandpiper, curlew sandpiper and double-banded plover.

The red-necked stint breeds in the wetlands of coastal Siberia and Alaska (right up near the Arctic), then travels south to Southeast Asia and Australia for the summer along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. The smallest migratory bird to visit Australia, this species can be found at the Western District Lakes and Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar sites all year round but predominantly in spring through to early autumn.

The Western District Lakes also support two threatened plant species:

the Salt-lake Tussock Grass and Spiny Peppercress (pictured L-R below).

Check out our spectacular short film journeying across the Western District Lakes:

Our role

Corangamite CMA is the site coordinator of the Western District Lakes Ramsar site. Our role is to help maintain the ecological character of the site and retain its essential functions and values for future generations. We also monitor and track trends in ecological character and support coordination between partner agencies including Parks Victoria, which manages the conservation reserves within the Ramsar site.

Between 2024 and 2028 Corangamite CMA is collaborating with public land managers, private organisations, Traditional Owners and the community to deliver a Ramsar Protection Program incorporating 850 hectares of weed control, 510 hectares of pest animal control and an engagement program reaching over 200 community members to build knowledge and understanding of the Ramsar sites values and methods of protection. Underpinning these activities will be Corangamite CMA’s ongoing role chairing and leading the Ramsar Coordination Committee for the Western District Lakes.

 

Management challenges

Because the Western District Lakes lie on lava flow plains, many are very shallow and can be greatly impacted by changes in rainfall and temperature. While the capacity of the lakes to support waterbirds depends in part on cycles of wetter and drier periods, climate change and extraction of both surface and groundwater upstream of this system are changing these cycles,  presenting a risk to the hydrology and salinity balance in the system.

Salinity changes in the wetlands can still support significant birdlife, but water extraction in the catchment will need to be managed carefully for the ecological character of this system to remain.

Report cards

Limits of Acceptable Change

The nine lakes of the Western District Lakes Ramsar site are regularly monitored for the ecological characteristics that underpin their function as critical waterbird habitat. The monitoring is against ‘Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC)’, a framework used by all Ramsar sites to identify their continued functioning as high value ecological systems.

Waterbird abundance is measured by biannual Birdlife Australia surveys across the whole Western District Lakes system. Each of the Lakes is also monitored for hydrology (water level), salinity (saltiness) and threatened plant species considered essential to the network’s ecological character.

Overall, the monitoring indicates that while salinity and hydrology change significantly from year to year depending on rainfall and other climatic conditions, their ecological character continues to support healthy numbers of significant waterbirds.  

View the latest Western District Lakes Ramsar site report cards by clicking on the images below (last updated August 2025):

BIRDS

LAC Target: 28,000 birds during summer in a minimum of three years in any five year period - LAC MET.

LAC Target: Australian Shelduck, Australasian Shoveler, Chestnut Teal and Eurasian Coot – not less than one percent of population (from latest Wetlands International population estimates) recorded at least once every five years - LAC MET.

LAC Target: Presence of curlew sandpiper, red-necked stint and sharp-tailed sandpiper within the Ramsar site at least once every five years - LAC MET.

SALINITY

LAC Targets: no change in salinity category for any given wetland, as measured by the below criteria:

• Lakes Beeac and Cundare to be hypersaline (greater than 50 parts per thousand) - LAC MET

• Lakes Bookar, Colongulac, Corangamite, Gnarpurt, Milangil and Murdeduke to be saline (5 to 50 parts per thousand) - LAC EXCEEDED

• Lake Terangpom to be fresh/brackish (less than three parts per thousand) - LAC EXCEEDED.

HYDROLOGY

LAC Targets: No change in wetland hydrological type for any given wetland. That is the following hydrological regimes maintained:

LAC Target	Assessment
Lakes Beeac and Cundare: intermittent wetlands drying seasonally but having water for at least a few months of each year	Lakes Beeac and Cundare have had water for several months typically from July to January every year for the past five years.
Lake Colongulac: near permanent wetland drying for no more than twelve months in any five year period	Lake Cologulac has remained with water present for all but 3 months of the past 5 years, with the past 3 months in 2025 being dry.
Lakes Bookar, Corangamite, Gnarpurt, Milangil, Murdeduke and Lake Terangpom: permanent wetlands not drying for more than two months in any five year period.	Lakes Bookar, Corangamite, Gnarpurt, Milangil, Murdeduke have had water present permanently for the past 5 years. However Lake Terangpom dried out for the first time in the past 5 years in 2025, being dry from March to May.

LAC MET except for Lake Terangpom

THREATENED PLANT SPECIES

LAC Target: Presence of spiny peppercress and salt lake tussock grass within the Ramsar site at least one year in any five year period - LAC MET.