Fortescue Marshes facts for kids

Fortescue Marsh (or marshes) is a part of the upper reaches of the Fortescue River in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

The night parrot has been recorded from the Fortescue Marshes

The catchment area at the headwaters of the river is particularly flat and marshy where the Western Creek, Warrawanda Creek and Fortescue River converge, the river then flows through a poorly defined channel as far as Gregory Gorge when the river starts to form a well defined channel and flows through a number of pools before reaching the estuarine area.

Important Bird Area

The 960 km² (370 sq mi) Fortescue Marshes (22°26′44″S 119°26′38″E) have been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because, when the area is flooded it supports up to 270,000 waterbirds, including over 1% of the world populations of 14 species. The site is also the location for one of the only two records made since 1990 of the critically endangered night parrot.

Iron ore mining

The area is also within the range of iron ore mine operations.

The area is also regularly visited and issues assessed due to the sensitivity of the area and its geomorphology.

The operations include the Roy Hill Iron Mine and the Christmas Creek Iron Ore Mine.