Appendix D Terrestrial and Aquatic Biodiversity - Environment ...

3.3 Sites of Conservation Significance
The MLA areas do not occur within a Site of Conservation Significance (SOCS). Downstream from the MLA
areas and first half of the haul road is the Limmen Bight SOCS. The haul road corridor and coastal port
facility fall within the northern tip of the McArthur River Coastal Floodplain SOCS (Figure 4).
Limmen Bight
The huge coastal mudflats of Limmen Bight are among the most important areas for migratory shorebirds in
the Northern Territory, supporting large numbers of waders (including more than 1% of the world's Greytailed
Tattlers and Great Knots). The site also includes a number of off-shore islands.
The site is significant for its environmental attributes which include:
• Eight threatened fauna species;
• Ten plant species are endemic to the Northern Territory;
• Four species of marine turtle breed on the islands within this SOCS (but are not known to breed on
the mainland coast) making it nationally significant for this family;
• Internationally significant breeding colonies of Roseate Terns;
• Significant numbers of shorebirds, with the highest count of more than 38,000 (in 1994); and
• A large part of this site listed as a Wetland of National Significance in A Directory of Important
Wetlands in Australia (EA 2001).
(Source: Harrison et al. 2009)
McArthur River Coastal Floodplain
The McArthur River Coastal Floodplain is recognised as having outstanding conservation values which
attract very large aggregations of migratory shorebirds. Waterbirds breed in the mangroves at the site, and
seabirds use coastal sand spits for nesting.
The site is both significant for its environmental attributes which include:
• Six threatened fauna species;
• Eight plant species are endemic to the Northern Territory;
• Marine turtles frequent the waters adjacent to this site and around the Sir Edward Pellew Islands, but
are not known to breed on the mainland coast in this area;
• Nationally significant breeding colonies of Little Terns;
• Significant numbers of shorebirds, with the highest count of more than 27,000 (in 1996); and
• A large part of this site listed as a Wetland of National Significance (EA 2001).
(Source: Harrison et al. 2009)
Although not formally assessed it is likely that these two systems would comply with Ramsar consideration
and listing due to the large numbers of both shorebirds and waterbirds (Chatto 2003).
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Doc No. DW120004-C0302-EIA-R-0036
Doc Title: Appendix D – Terrestrial Biodiversity Technical Report