Apsley Marshes

Apsley Marshes Ramsar site 1
Apsley Marshes Ramsar site 2
Apsley Marshes Ramsar site showing constructed drains
Apsley Marshes Ramsar site 3

Apsley Marshes

  • Country: 
    Australia
  • Site number: 
    255
  • Area: 
    880 ha
  • Designation date: 
    16-11-1982
  • Coordinates: 
    41°58'S 148°12'E
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Overview

Located on the east coast of Tasmania at the mouth of the Apsley River, the Apsley Marshes feature a range of representative wetlands in the Tasmania ecoregion including intertidal and freshwater marshes and swamps. The Site is one of the largest wetlands in Tasmania and is connected to the Southern Ocean via another Ramsar Site, Moulting Lagoon (Site no. 251). Eight fish species regularly migrate between these locations, including short-finned eels (Anguilla australis) and Australian grayling (Prototroctes maraena). The Site has a rich diversity of freshwater and marine plants, including some nationally threatened species such as the swamp everlasting (Xerochrysum palustre). It is an important nesting area for black swan (Cygnus atratus) and the regionally rare white-bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster). The floodplains have been used as part of a working agricultural property since the early 19th century; as well as livestock grazing, other human activities include birdwatching and duck hunting.

Administrative region: 
Tasmania

  • National legal designation: 
    • State protected area - Moulting Lagoon Game Reserve
  • Last publication date: 
    13-04-2023

Downloads

Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)

Additional reports and documents