Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

Summary The IBA supports populations of the endangered Eastern Bristlebird (northern subspecies), the vulnerable Black-breasted Button-quail, Rufous Scrub-bird and Albert's Lyrebird, the restricted-range Pale-yellow Robin, Paradise Riflebird, Green Catbird and Regent Bowerbird and the biome-restricted Australian Logrunner.

Ornithological information In addition to those listed above, a further thirteen bird species listed under Queensland's Nature Conservation Act (1992) have been recorded within the Scenic Rim IBA boundary: Grey Goshawk - Rare, Red Goshawk - Endangered, Square-tailed Kite - Rare, Lewin's Rail - Rare, Glossy Black-Cockatoo - Vulnerable, Powerful Owl - Vulnerable, Sooty Owl - Rare, Marbled Frogmouth - Vulnerable, Red-browed Treecreeper - Rare, Olive Whistler - Rare, Black-chinned Honeyeater - Rare and Southern Emu-wren - Vunerable. There are also historical and recent sight records of the presence of the now critically endangered Coxen's Fig-Parrot (Coxen's Fig-Parrot Recovery Team 2001). The globally endangered Swift Parrot and Regent Honeyeater have been seen within the Scenic Rim IBA on one or two occasions (EPA Unpublished data).

Site description This IBA consists of a series of contiguous protected areas along the Queensland / New South Wales border. It is defined as the following protected areas, which support populations of threatened species: Main Range National Park, Glen Rock Regional Park, Mount Barney National Park, Mount Chinghee National Park, Lamington National Park, Springbrook National Park, Glen Rock Regional Park, Border Ranges National Park, Koreelah National Park, Mebbin National Park, Wollumbin National Park, Mount Clunie National Park, Mount Nothofagus National Park, Mount Warning National Park, Wollumbin National Park, Limpinwood Nature Reserve and Numinbah Nature Reserve. The IBA also includes private properties which support the Eastern Bristlebird but these are not displayed on the map. Additional contiguous areas of forest could be included in the IBA but are not known to support populations of the threatened species. The whole Scenic Rim is largely volcanic in origin, including the Mt Warning Shield volcano, Focal Peak volcanics and Main Range volcanics. Other areas are of sedimentary origin including parts of eastern Lamington area and parts of Mount Barney National Park. The now deeply weathered, mainly basaltic soils, which dominate the IBA, support a number of rainforest/vine thicket ecosystems as well as some rare grassland and eucalypt communities. The area has a coastal sub-tropical climate with average maximum summer temperatures of 29oC, average minimum winter temperatures of 6oC and average annual rainfall of 1555 mm at the lowest altitudes (data sourced from Tyalgum weather station altitude 55 metres). Parts of Mt Warning NP, Border Ranges NP, Limpinwood NR, Numinbah NR, 20,000 ha of Lamington NP and a portion of Mebbin NP are listed as a World Heritage site, and most of Border Ranges NP and all of Limpinwood NR are designated as Wilderness Areas.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Protected areas

Protected area	Designation	Area (ha)	Relationship with IBA	Overlap with IBA (ha)
Austinville 1	Forest Reserve	195	protected area contained by site	195
Austinville 2	Forest Reserve	254	protected area contained by site	254
Austinville 3	Forest Reserve	112	protected area contained by site	112
Border Ranges	National Park	31,760	protected area contained by site	31,683
Koreelah	National Park	5,163	protected area contained by site	5,270
Lamington	National Park	20,590	protected area contained by site	20,590
Limpinwood	Nature Reserve	2,776	protected area contained by site	2,647
Main Range	National Park	29,730	protected area contained by site	29,730
Mebbin	National Park	3,798	protected area contained by site	3,800
Mount Barney	National Park	17,660	protected area contained by site	17,660
Mount Chinghee	National Park	1,260	protected area contained by site	1,260
Mount Clunie	National Park	1,405	protected area contained by site	1,426
Mount Nothofagus	National Park	2,125	protected area contained by site	2,180
Mount Warning	National Park	2,619	protected area contained by site	2,379
Numinbah	Nature Reserve	892	protected area contained by site	858
Springbrook	Forest Reserve	91	protected area contained by site	91
Springbrook	National Park	3,106	protected area contained by site	3,106
Wollumbin	National Park	1,669	protected area contained by site	1,669
Wollumbin	State Conservation Area	369	protected area contained by site	369

Habitats

Land ownership Queensland Government and NSW NPWS; small areas of private property (not mapped).

Land use

Other biodiversity Other fauna and flora listed under Queensland's Nature Conservation Act (1992) include 9 frogs, 7 mammals, 8 reptiles, 1 butterfly and many plant species. Thirty ecosystem types that are listed as either 'of concern' or 'endangered' under Queensland's Vegetation Management Act (1999) are also found within the Scenic Rim IBA boundary. (EPA 2007).

Management considerations Manage wildfires to reduce incidence and intensity. Manage weeds, especially Lantana infestations along rainforest edges. Actively discourage broadcasting recordings of Rufous Scrub bird and Eastern Bristlebird by birders. Monitor populations and investigate possible causes for decline in Rufous Scrub-birds and Eastern Bristlebirds.

Protection status Various national parks and other reserves as listed. Extensions have been appended to four national parks which have been recently expanded in area.

Conservation response Rufous Scrub-bird and Eastern Bristlebird monitoring [D. Stewart (Qld EPA); Eastern Bristlebird Recovery Team].

Access/Land-Owner requests Freely accessible by road and the many walking tracks throughout the national parks. Many areas are quite remote with no walking tracks.

Acknowledgements Nomination written by Mike Mathieson with advice on bird status, monitoring and conservation received from QPWS Southern Region and EPA Biodiversity Sciences.

References Coxen's Fig-Parrot Recovery Team (2001) Coxen's Fig-Parrot Cyclopsitta diophthalma coxeni recovery plan 2001-2005. Report to Environment Australia, Canberra. QPWS, Brisbane.

Ekert, P.A. 2005 Monitoring Rufous Scrub-birds (Atrichornis rufescens) inCentral Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia (CERRA). Final Report 2005. Report prepared by Ekerlogic Consulting Services (ECS) for the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Coffs Harbour.

Environment Australia (2000) Revision of the Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) and Development of Version 5.1, Environment Australia, Canberra.

EPA (2007) Regional Ecosystem Description database (REDD). Version 5.1, updated June 2007. Database maintained by Queensland Herbarium, Environmental Protection Agency, Brisbane. (http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/nature_conservation/

Mathieson, M. and Smith, G.C. (2007) National recovery plan for the black-breasted button-quail Turnix melanogaster. Report to the Department of the Environment and Water Resources, Canberra.

Ekert, P.A. 2005 Monitoring Rufous Scrub-birds (Atrichornis rufescens) inCentral Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia (CERRA). Final Report 2005. Report prepared by Ekerlogic Consulting Services (ECS) for the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Coffs Harbour.

NSW NPWS (2004) Parks & Reserves of the Tweed Caldera incorporating National Parks: Mt Warning, Border Ranges, Mebbin, Nightcap, Mt Jerusalem, Goonengerry; Nature Reserves: Limpinwood, Numinbah, Snows Gully. Plan of Management.

Stewart, D. (2006) Rufous Scrub-bird surveys in the Queensland CERRA; November 2006. Unpublished report. Moggill, Qld: QPWS.

Contribute  Please click here to help BirdLife conserve the world's birds - your data for this IBA and others are vital for helping protect the environment.

Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Scenic Rim. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 24/05/2013

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife