$1.6M funding for threatened bird recovery

BirdLife Australia welcomes $1.6M for threatened bird recovery

BirdLife Australia welcomes the announcement by Federal Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek of $1.6 million in funding for threatened bird recovery through the Australian Government’s Saving Native Species program.

The funding allocated to BirdLife Australia will provide dedicated Recovery Teams with an urgent uplift through to 2026, with a focus on 9 threatened priority birds; Australasian Bittern, Carnaby’s Cockatoo, Eastern Curlew, Hooded Plover (eastern), King Island Brown Thornbill, King Island Scrubtit, Regent Honeyeater, South-east Red-tailed Black Cockatoo and Swift Parrot. The funding will also provide additional support for governance and coordination for several other priority listed and threatened birds’ Recovery Teams.

BirdLife Australia has long been involved with national recovery teams and has led the implementation and coordination of recovery plans for a range of threatened birds including the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater and Swift Parrot.

“These Recovery Teams do vital work on the frontline of bird conservation in Australia,” said Lyndel Wilson, BirdLife Australia’s incoming Executive Director Conservation and Science. “The government’s decision to engage our expert staff to coordinate these teams emphasises BirdLife Australia’s pivotal role as the national leader in bird conservation.

“Currently, one in six Australian birds face the threat of extinction. Species Recovery Teams are vital for guiding the monitoring of important bird populations and coordinating actions to protect them and restore their numbers.

“This funding is a welcome boost to existing Recovery Teams. It will also allow BirdLife Australia to establish and coordinate new national Recovery Teams for three iconic threatened birds; the Australasian Bittern, the Eastern Curlew and the Eastern Hooded Plover. That means we can collect more data on how these species are tracking, scale-up recovery efforts and boost our collaboration with communities, experts and partners to safeguard the future of these birds.”

“We thank the Minister and the Commonwealth Government for awarding this funding, and we’re looking forward to working with dedicated Recovery Team partners on much-needed actions for these threatened birds.”

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