This program focuses on the conservation of wetland and waterways and the birds they support.
Wetlands are crucial to Endangered birds like the Australasian Bittern, as well as the Orange-bellied Parrot, one of Australia’s most threatened species.
Australian wetlands and waterways have undergone intensive modification since European colonisation. The changes to natural processes and ecology has had long-term effects on the waterbird populations that rely on dynamic wetting and drying periods.
In a country where water security is a concern for many, we must conserve the health of our unique wetlands. Australia’s iconic waterbirds have evolved to take advantage of boom-bust cycles and are capable of tracking resources across thousands of kilometres to feed, shelter and breed in pulsing habitats.
Our waterbirds rely on wetlands of many types and on many scales, from desert floodplains to coastal lagoons and urban waterways. These sites are linked in time and space and a coordinated, continental-scale conservation effort is needed to preserve the birds that rely on them.
Waterbird conservation requires:
We need to keep speaking up for our birds and protect the life-giving flows which breathe life into our wetlands.
BirdLife Australia works with land managers, water holders, government, traditional owners, academics, NGOs and community groups to improve the health of our wetlands and the species that rely on them. We focus on projects that fill key knowledge gaps, help track bird populations and protect the places in which they live. Given the highly mobile nature of waterbirds, we often need to protect more than one wetland site.
Monitoring and research are critical for conservation, and we have spearheaded and managed surveying projects with our partners that have collected much-needed information on wetland birds and their habitats. The Melbourne Water surveys and Gippsland Lakes monitoring (including the Great Pelican Count) are two long-running projects providing baseline data of bird numbers and the impacts of human activity that inform conservation efforts in these areas.
Our Bittern Project, begun in 2007, revealed the concerning decline in Australasian Bittern numbers and led to the species being Federally listed as Endangered, and added to the IUCN Red List.
We have also helped to create legislation – the EPBC Act – to protect the environment, and advocate stronger reforms to make sure this legislation can do what it is designed to do.
The Geum Estuary Project is a collaboration led by BirdLife International and BirdLife Australia. This project aspires to demonstrate alternative and sustainable paths for developing coastal wetlands in the Republic of Korea.
The Bittern Project was launched in 2007 in response to concerns over the plight of the Australasian Bittern. This project aims to help ensure the species' long-term survival, as well as that of other species which inhabit the same freshwater wetlands.
By taking part in the Painted Snipe Survey, you can help us to fill the gaps in our knowledge about these cryptic, threatened birds.
The Australasian Bittern lives in freshwater wetlands in dense beds of reeds and rushes, where their secretive nature makes them difficult to see.
Australia's migratory shorebirds are incredible, many flying to and from the Northern Hemisphere every year. But sadly, because of the destruction of their habitats, hunting, and disturbance, their numbers have declined greatly.
