Formal recognition of ecosystems under threat helps birds

Formal recognition of ecosystems under threat helps birds

BirdLife Australia welcomes the federal Environment and Water Minister Murray Watt’s decision to list two nationally important ecosystems, critical to many bird species, under national environmental law. The federal government announced today that it had accepted recommendations by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee to list the River Murray downstream of the Darling River, and associated aquatic and floodplain systems’ as Critically Endangered, and the Wetlands and inner floodplains of the Macquarie Marshes in northwestern NSW, as Endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation act (EPBC).

BirdLife Australia CEO Kate Millar says the listing will help protect the many bird species that depend on these unique habitats. “The River Murray ecosystem is home to a dazzling variety of birds, including waterbirds, raptors and parrot species. At the Murray Mouth and Coorong, we’re leading important actions to protect Hooded Plovers and colonies of Fairy Terns in partnership with traditional owners. And the Macquarie Marshes, a Key Biodiversity Area, are home to more than 70 species of waterbird including 43 species that breed there. These are spectacular places of immense importance to Australian birds and are internationally recognised.

“It’s encouraging news, because many of these birds are in need of urgent protection and recovery actions, including  the elusive Australasian Bittern which is the focus of a dedicated recovery team led by BirdLife Australia. Extended dry periods are a major threat to Bitterns, so conserving the wetland ecosystems they depend on is extremely important.

“It’s bittersweet when ecosystems or species are listed under the EPBC act. On the one hand, it’s concerning that they are threatened enough to be eligible, on the other, it’s positive that their needs are being formally recognised,” Ms Millar said.

“In this instance, we’ve known and expressed for a long time that these places need to be recognised, so it’s pleasing to see that finally happen.”

Ms Millar said listing species and ecological communities is one part of the broader system of protections and actions needed to save threatened birds. “To end Australia’s extinction crisis, it’s critical that the habitats they depend on are safe from destruction and degradation. Putting in the work to secure and revitalise habitat, including the continued implementation of the Murray-Darling Plan, is central to building the resilience of birds in the face of a changing climate.”

Recovery planning for listed ecological communities and threatened species is a critical follow up action to a formal listing under the EPBC. “We should expect that listing an ecological community, or a single species, as endangered will result in proactive recovery plans and key actions to bring them back from the brink.”

BirdLife Australia Media Enquiries
Please contact James Johnson on 0423 659 324 or at media@birdlife.org.au