BIRDLIFE AUSTRALIA Member Communique, March 2021 27 February 2021 Key updates, developments and outcomes from the Board meeting held 27 February 2021. STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENTS Key Highlights • The board: o endorsed the next stage of a proposal to investigate the development of a discovery centre/office in Bold Park, Perth for place-based community engagement in bird conservation; o noted progress with the digital transformation engagement project to improve the experience for BirdLife supporters; o noted progress on the development of an ambitious new strategic plan aligned to the zero draft goals of the United Nation’s post 2020 biodiversity framework; o agreed to establish a new Community Grants and Awards Committee to empower community participation in BirdLife’s programs and priorities; o endorsed an implementation plan for BirdLife’s Diversity & Inclusion policy; o discussed updates to the organisation’s Risk Register; and o endorsed the draft annual financial statements for 2020. • Professor Samuel’s final EPBC Review report recommended a package of reform including an independent regulator and strong national standards. The federal government continues with a piecemeal reform agenda, including devolution with significantly weaker national standards; • BirdLife secured philanthropic funding to support recovery actions for the Glossy Black Cockatoo, with other bushfire related funding applications submitted; • BirdLife staff and the WA branch are working together on a campaign to seek an election commitment that will halt and reverse the continued projected decline of the Perth population of the endangered Carnaby's Black- cockatoo; BirdLife Australia Member Communique 1 March 2021 SA Pastoral Bill Staff have been working with the Chair of Gluepot Reserve and an alliance of nature conservation groups in response to a Pastoral Bill aimed at growing the pastoralism sector within the rangelands. The group has engaged Livestock SA on potential amendments such as explicitly permitting conservation as an alternative use. BirdLife’s preference is to see the Bill blocked. Given the Bill it is being tabled soon, and has political support, amendments via negotiation is supported. Longer pastoral leases could be the trade-off (with stronger compliance and enforcement to protect bird habitat in the Rangelands). Research & Conservation Committee BirdLife acknowledges concern from members and the community regarding birds named after controversial colonial era figures. For example, Major Mitchell’s exploration party was reported to be involved in a massacre of Indigenous people. BirdLife Australia maintains the Working List of Australian Birds for all species and sub-species of birds occurring in Australia for the purpose of conservation. The list includes the common names that BirdLife uses for each taxon. It is acknowledged that other Australian lists are also used and maintained by different groups. This issue reflects changing community values. The Board endorsed a proposal by BirdLife’s Research & Conservation Committee to establish a diverse advisory committee to address this issue using agreed criteria. BirdLife Awards The Board endorsed the nominations put forward by the Awards Committee for Honorary Life Membership and BirdLife Australia Distinguished Service Awards. CONSERVATION PROGRAMS Preventing Extinctions Emergency Interventions The Australian Government agreed to fund further King Island Scrubtit and Brown Thornbill work in 2021 as a result of BirdLife’s seed funded research in 2020. BirdLife continues to work with Conservation Action Plan (CAP) stakeholders to progress priority conservation actions, including community support for habitat protection and improved fire management of habitat. Grey Range Thick-billed Grasswren have been found at a number of new sites as a result of our survey efforts. Potential partnerships with Universities are being investigated to undertake formal species distribution modelling and ecological research. Northern Eastern Bristlebird surveys in Queensland this year will inform the work of the Northern Eastern Bristlebird working group as it seeks to secure funding for priority actions including further surveys and habitat management. The Black-throated Finch Recovery Team is implementing the recommendations of BirdLife’s review of Recovery Team governance. BirdLife will continue to work with the Team to update and finalise the Black-throated Finch CAP and the new Recovery Plan. BirdLife Australia Member Communique 12 March 2021 The new Bushfire Recovery Project Officer on Kangaroo Island is collaborating with the South Australian government to survey the most severely burnt areas in the west and has begun to establish community surveys in the east. A radiotracking study of Western Bassian Thrush and the Western Whipbird on the island is being planned. Installation of artificial hollows (‘cockatubes’) for South- eastern Glossy Black-Cockatoos in East Gippsland has begun to supplement known breeding areas close to remaining foraging and water sources. Funding from the Williamson Foundation will allow post-installation monitoring and targeted engagement with Landcare groups that are planting Allocasuarinas and education projects to increase community knowledge of and support for conservation of ‘Glossies’ across East Gippsland. BirdLife hosted a series of recovery planning workshops for the Eastern Ground Parrot and Eastern Bristlebird projects. Post-fire assessments and national monitoring regimes for these species is also being completed. BirdLife is liaising with the National Environmental Science Program to improve national coordination of post- fire monitoring and recovery efforts by agencies, communities and researchers. Surveys for Western Whipbird (wheatbelt) were undertaken across spring 2020, with a report due soon. BirdLife, Hunter Local Land Services and ANU’s Difficult Bird Research Group are also partnering to establish a monitoring protocol for Rufous Scrub-bird and address knowledge gaps. Fire severity mapping has been applied across Superb Lyrebird species distribution maps to identify high impact and unburned refuges. Volunteers trained over the summer are now assisting in surveys to assess foraging activity. Suitability of the lyrebird as an umbrella species for the conservation of other wet forest species will also be assessed. The Western Ground Parrot project is underway and is working collaboratively with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and the Friends of the Western Ground Parrot to monitor populations and assess feral predator threats. National Laws and Policy BirdLife continues to work as part of the Places You Love Alliance (PYL) to deliver stronger nature laws. The final report for Professor Graeme Samuel’s review of the EPBC Act (the Review) has been publicly released. The recommendations include a package of reform with robust national Environmental Standards. The Australian Government is yet to formally respond to the Review, but the Environment Minister has developed an alternate set of extremely weak interim standards to accompany the devolution bill before Parliament. The new bill sets up a framework for a commissioner and standards, but it is far from the reforms needed. The Alliance is using a policy brief to work the connections we have been nurturing for many months and years: NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean publicly backed the Samuel recommendations as have a number of key crossbenchers. BirdLife Network volunteers and supporters continue to roll out meetings with their local MPs, including Tanya Plibersek MP, Linda Burney MP, David Gillespie MP and Pat Conaghan MP. BirdLife and the Alliance have until June to negotiate higher standards. BirdLife Australia Member Communique 12 March 2021 Convention on Biological Diversity BirdLife Australia continues to contribute to the BirdLife International Post 2020 Taskforce which has been working on some new position papers. BirdLife International has been working closely with international eNGO Partners in the ‘Pyramid Group’ (WWF, TNC, WCS, CI, RSPB) to finalise a joint paper which calls out the lowered ambition in the updated zero draft of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. BirdLife International is strongly advocating elements such as preventing extinctions to be reinstated; and improvements in the consideration of biodiversity in the climate agenda (ie “Nature Based Solutions”). The Taskforce are working on key messages and plans to: mobilise political leaders to carry out ambitious action on biodiversity; mobilise populations to press for ambitious action on biodiversity; build momentum towards action, using the existing commitments; and raise awareness of the linkage between biodiversity solutions and other planetary crisis (climate, SDGs, pandemic, etc). BirdLife Australia is mobilising advocacy around reinstating Key Biodiversity Areas as a headline indicator to measure progress in protecting important areas (it had been relegated to an optional indicator). This includes engagement with the Australian Government and Australian eNGOs. BirdLife’s Pacific Partners could play a pivotal role in negotiations for the biodiversity and climate agendas but lack capacity. Campaigns BirdLife is working with the Toondah Alliance to prepare for the anticipated April release of the Environmental Impact Statement for the Toondah Harbour project, including commitments from experts, international influencers and strategy for a public submission. The newly appointed Environment