Projects
Restore Lake Gore and Surrounds
About the Project
About The Project
The Improved Knowledge and On-ground Action to Restore Lake Gore and Surrounds Project is a collaborative four-year project aiming to enhance the ecological character of the Lake Gore Ramsar Wetland site, located approximately 35 km north-west of Esperance on WA’s South Coast.
In addition to the Ramsar Wetland restoration focus, the project has a secondary investment priority in the Kwongkan Threatened Ecological Community in surrounding areas, which is listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act. The Lake Gore Ramsar Wetland is unique in its provision of habitat for over 20,000 resident waterfowl and migratory shorebirds annually at any one time.
Lake Gore is home to over 1% of the global population of the threatened hooded plover (Thinornis rubricollis), forms a crucial moulting haven for thousands of Australian shelduck (Tadorna tadornoides), supports significant proportions of the Australian populations of chestnut teal (Anas castanea), and provides crucial drought refuge for over 10% of the global population of banded stilt (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus).
Project Details
The project will enhance the ecological character and address key knowledge gaps identified within Lake Gore’s Ecological Character Description by improving understanding of the cultural service, hydrology, water quality and biota.
On-ground recovery actions such as riparian habitat revegetation, targeted weed control, feral predator management, and access control structure installation will mitigate key threatening processes to improve water quality, habitat suitability for shorebirds and waterfowl, and enhance wetland ecosystem resilience in a changing climate.
Additionally, on-ground actions will improve the condition and extent of the Kwongkan TEC, whilst on-ground cultural practices will enhance traditional owner knowledge gain and inform future management actions. Through cultural and ecological knowledge gain and action, this project will restore Lake Gore and surrounds for both people and biodiversity.
Help us protect lake gore and surrounds
Get involved with
Citizen Science
There are opportunities for involvement with the Lake Gore project via assisting on the ground with tree planting, deploying and retrieving pest animal camera traps, and completing flora and fauna surveys.
Additionally, there are opportunities for involvement with processing camera trap data and monitoring changes in feral animal activity levels alongside management actions such as baiting and shooting for foxes and cats. People are also encouraged to participate in the annual shorebird count in February to help monitor bird populations at our Ramsar Wetlands!
Awareness raising
Previously, the Lake Gore project has delivered two community events, a hydrology workshop discussing options for managing on-farm drainage, and a feral animal management workshop.
We have several upcoming events, including a shorebird identification workshop with Birdlife Australia in January 2026 to brush up community birding skills and recruit new surveyors prior to the Shorebird Count with Esperance Bird Observers Group in February.
Contact us
Please contact Kahree Garnaut for more information about the project – kahreeg@southcoastnrm.com.au
Our project partners
- Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD)
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA)
- Shire of Esperance (SOE)
- Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (ETNTAC)
