Conservation and bird advocacy organisations are calling for an urgent national response to strengthen wetland resilience and protect vulnerable waterbird populations as H5N1 bird flu hits the Murray-Darling Basin.
The call follows confirmation of H5N1 in a seabird in the Coorong, following growing reports of infected wild migratory seabirds in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, raising alarm among conservation groups about the potential impact on the Basin’s internationally significant bird populations and wetland ecosystems.
The Murray-Darling Conservation Alliance and BirdLife Australia are urging the Federal Government to immediately invest in emergency wetland restoration, environmental water delivery and wildlife resilience measures ahead of the coming spring breeding season.
The groups are calling for:
- Emergency environmental water deliveries to extend waterbird breeding events and increase wetland availability across the Murray-Darling Basin.
- Accelerated wetland protection and restoration, including recovering environmental water and removing barriers preventing water reaching floodplains and wetlands.
- Rapid investment in wildlife resilience measures, including a $200 million national wildlife resilience package over two years.
- Removal of avoidable pressures on vulnerable bird populations, including habitat destruction and hunting of susceptible waterbird species.
- Increased surveillance, monitoring and rapid response capability for outbreaks in wild bird populations.
Quotes attributable to Craig Wilkins, National Co-Director, Murray-Darling Conservation Alliance
“The already vulnerable Murray-Darling Basin is set to be the epicentre for bird flu impacts because it is the feeding and breeding heartland for so many migratory and wetland bird species.”
“Without emergency coordinated action to improve the resilience of wetlands and bird habitat, the consequences for waterbird populations across the Basin could be catastrophic.”
“Increasing environmental water delivery to more wetlands is one of the most important actions governments can take right now. The more healthy wetlands and feeding sites we have available, the more opportunities birds have to spread out and avoid concentrated outbreaks.”
Quotes attributable to Shannon Creaney- BirdLife Australia, Birds on Farms Monitoring Coordinator
“Murray–Darling Basin is home to some of Australia’s most important wetlands, providing critical habitat for threatened species like the Australasian Bittern. These birds are already under immense pressure from habitat destruction and changing water conditions. The spread of avian influenza (H5 bird flu) in these wetlands would pose a serious additional threat to already vulnerable waterbird populations.”
“Healthier wetland bird populations are more resilient to emerging threats. That’s why it’s important to protect and restore the Murray–Darling Basin’s wetlands while also investing in early H5 bird flu detection and ongoing surveillance. These wetlands are home to vulnerable species like the Australasian Bittern. Improving resilience now will give birds the best chance of withstanding the impacts of this virus.”