The Western District Lakes of Victoria, in the Western District of Victoria, south-eastern Australia, were recognised on 15 December 1982 as wetlands of international importance by listing under the Ramsar Convention, as Ramsar site no.268.
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The site comprises nine lakes with a combined area of 329 km2, varying in depth and salinity from fresh water to hypersaline. They include State Wildlife Reserves and Lake Reserves and serve as drought refuges for tens of thousands of waterbirds. Several threatened plants occur within the site, including the endangered Lepidium ashersonii. The lakes are used for various purposes, including recreational fishing and duck hunting as well as grazing, commercial fishing, and wastewater disposal. The lakes lie in a basaltic grassland landscape at an altitude of 40–90 m above sea level. Average annual rainfall (recorded at Beeac) is 617 mm.[1] Lakes included in the site are:[2]
The Ramsar-listed lakes, along with other nearby lakes have been identified by BirdLife International as a 384 km2 Important Bird Area (IBA) because they support over 1% of the world populations of Australian Shelducks, Chestnut Teals and Banded Stilts and irregularly support over 1% of the world populations of Freckled Ducks, Musk Ducks, Blue-billed Ducks, Black Swans, Australasian Shovelers, Pink-eared Ducks, Hoary-headed Grebes, Straw-necked Ibises, Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and White-headed Stilts.[2][3]
The additional lakes in the IBA are:[2]
Other birds for which the lakes occasionally support high numbers include Double-banded Plovers, Red-necked Avocets, Eurasian Coots, Great Crested Grebes, Australian Pelicans, Great Cormorants, Little Pied Cormorants, Grey Teals, Whiskered Terns, Hardheads and Red-necked Stints.[2]