T HE S TATE OF A USTRALIA’ S B IRDS 2004 Water, Wetlands and Birds Compiled by Penny Olsen and Michael Weston Supplement to Wingspan, vol. 14, no. 4, December 2004 II The State of Australia’s Birds 2004 The State of Australia’s Birds reports present an overview of the status of Australia’s birds, the major threats they face and the conservation actions taken. This second report focuses on wetland birds. With the continuation of drought conditions over much of the country, exacerbating long-term damage to wetlands and other habitats, water issues are taking centre stage, but too often birds and the environment receive scant attention. Restoration of environmental flows to Australia’s stressed waterways and wetlands is essential. Wetlands and their birds need water. Environmental flow: sufficient water in rivers and groundwater systems, at appropriate times, to maintain downstream ecosystems. THE KEY FINDINGS There is mixed news on the status of Australia’s wetland birds. helps protect wetlands listed as internationally significant Some positive initiatives are underpinned by developing (Ramsar wetlands). cooperation between Federal and State Governments and • Agreements are in place with some countries to protect improvements in management strategies. However, widespread, internationally migratory birds and their habitats. The Federal sustainable recovery of damaged wetlands is a long way off. There Government is investigating whether additional agreements can are many uncertainties because of lack of information, and in be forged with countries in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. developed parts of the continent much of the news is bleak. • Private landowners are restoring or protecting wetlands on their properties, thus contributing to the conservation of Favourable news wetland birds. • Moves are under way to better manage the use of water, and • Coastal and other areas under pressure from heavy human governments have recognised the importance of water reform. recreational use can be improved for birds by fencing, revege- Nonetheless, political, social and economic forces must be tation, control of dogs and human access, etc. Wetlands on farms reconciled before reform is achievable. Long-term sustainability can be reinvigorated. Much of this work is now underway. dictates that environmental needs should be paramount, and • Efforts to monitor wetland birds are increasing, and major that environmental flows be determined on the basis of studies are planned for hitherto little known drainages such as ecological considerations. the Channel Country of Queensland. • Management of water requires cross-border cooperation between States and other jurisdictions, and it is appropriate Unfavourable news that the Federal Government has taken a leading role in • Many major wetlands are in trouble. These include several in managing Australia’s water resource. the south-east—the once great Macquarie Marshes and • The National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality, and Menindee Lakes, mid-Lachlan and upper-Macquarie valleys, the National Dryland Salinity Program have been prepared Barmah-Millewa Forest, the Gwydir wetlands, Booligal and endorsed by all Federal and State environment ministers. Swamp, Narran Lakes and, in particular, the Lowbidgee, to • Wetlands, such as the Paroo, Cooper’s Creek, Fitzroy and the Coorong, South Australia—and south-west. Studies point Ovens (Wentworth) still retain high conservation value, and to acute wetland bird declines in these areas. should be given the highest conservation priority. • In the south-west and south-east massive allocation to water- • Australia’s relatively pristine, tropical rivers, stretch from the hungry ventures such as agriculture is the major threat to Great Barrier Reef coast, across the north to the Kimberley. wetland birds, and this threat is spreading northwards in Together, they form one of the last great river networks and eastern Queensland. are an internationally significant asset. The same can be said of • Despite a greater recognition of the problem, the Murray- the unique rivers and wetlands of the Lake Eyre Basin. Darling and other major river systems and wetlands have yet • The Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation to be given a chance to recover by a significant increase in Act 1999 confers greater protection to migratory shorebirds, environmental flows. and one resident wetland bird has recently been listed under the • In Tasmania recent changes in weather patterns have left waterbird Act as Threatened (Australian Painted Snipe). The Act also habitat starved of water, while drought has brought higher The State of Australia’s Birds 2004 III Wetlands come in many forms: a Buff-banded Rail bathes in a septic outlet, Lady Elliot Island, Queensland. Photo by Raoul Slater. numbers of previously uncommon species, presumably as they • No accurate information is available on population size for seek refuge from the dry conditions on the mainland. any wetland bird, and population trends over time are • Salinisation is an increasing threat to inland wetlands, and is known for only a few sites. There is an urgent need to particularly evident in the wheatbelt of Western Australia. monitor wetland birds on a national scale over a sufficient • Across tropical Australia, exotic aquatic weeds and other time period to understand natural cycles of abundance invasive species such as pigs are a significant and and decline. Use of birds as indicators would provide increasing threat to wetlands and their birds. monitoring data as well as allowing assessment of progress • A high proportion of the bird species that decreased towards sustainability/wise water management goals and nationally in the second Atlas of Australian Birds were wetland health. wetland birds, despite a slight increase in rainfall. Several • The absence of reliable monitoring information means of these birds are also reported to be in decreased numbers that the tolerance of populations to potential threats by more local monitoring programs in the States. such as hunting, wetland destruction and degradation, • In populated areas, coastal wetlands and their birds are reduced frequency of floods and breeding events are under intense pressure from development, disturbance poorly understood. Hence, management of these threats and pollution. may not be effective. Uncertain news Wetland birds to watch • Many wetland birds are dispersive or migratory and • The increasing rarity of the Australasian Bittern suggests depend on a network of wetlands, hence, the that it meets the requirements for listing as nationally consequences of undesirable change in one region can be Endangered. Four subspecies also warrant consideration far-reaching. However, such mobility can also allow for listing as nationally Threatened: the Bulloo Grey certain birds to move to more favourable areas. Grasswren, Alligator Rivers’ Yellow Chat, Tasmanian • While many birds make use of artificial wetlands, Lewin’s Rail and eastern Hooded Plover. especially sewerage ponds, their conservation importance • Other birds of concern include Yellow-billed Spoonbill, is mixed: they offer habitat for certain bird species, but the Red-kneed Dotterel and Nankeen Night Heron, which are large grazers and predators they attract can render smaller still common but their populations appear to have artificial wetlands unsuitable for certain birds. Some declined in recent years. man-made wetlands have also been created at the expense • The Australian Painted Snipe is the first resident wetland of the original, natural wetland. species to be listed as nationally Threatened under the • In the rangelands, bores are being capped and water is EPBC Act—it could become a flagship species for being piped to reduce wastage. This saves water wastage, freshwater wetlands. and helps to maintain water supplies, but the implications • The outlook for the Critically Endangered Capricorn of these changes for birds are unclear and in need of Yellow Chat appears reasonable provided sufficient urgent study. Caution is urged to avoid undesirable habitat is maintained and other threats identified consequences for conservation. and managed. The State of Australia’s Birds 2004 farms and irrigation channels. They range from permanent to ephemeral, regular to episodic, freshwater to brackish and saline (see box). They may be on private or public land, protected or unprotected. Scattered from the low tide mark to the heart of the continent, they form a network of possible habits for waterbirds, many of which must move with the seasons or according to annual conditions. Wetlands support a variety of birds, some of which live in fringes and margins, others in the water itself. Furthermore, waterways, wetlands and shorelines are concentration points for all sorts of birds, and landmarks for their navigation. The more permanent wetlands promise concentrations of food, and drinking water, and refugia during drought. Their more ephemeral Budgerigars alight to drink at an isolated dam, counterparts fill briefly, and spasmodically, Birds Australia’s Gluepot Reserve, South Australia. offering a flush of plenty and a rare opportunity Photo by Nicholas Birks INTRODUCTION for an abundance of birds to breed. IN 2003, THE first State of Australia’s Birds Wiser use of water—a scarce, vital resource (SOAB) report was launched by Senator Gary in this driest of populated continents—is a most Types of wetlands Humphries at Birds Australia’s Australasian topical and pressing issue. In July