Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00677:reg:12:p11
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00677
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 12 (pt 11/33)
Character Range: 33369–36388

and near-shore waters (for foraging) and occurs across a wide range of land tenures, including on Indigenous Protected Areas, freehold land, state reserves, and national parks. It is essential that the locations where the species regularly occurs are given the highest protection, as they are likely to be productive habitats
   with high resource availability. Conservation measures should target these productive habitats. Sympathetic management of buffer areas adjoining nesting and foraging habitats is also important.

             When considering developments in any part of the species range, including in areas where the species 'may occur', surveys for occupancy at the appropriate times
             (See 2.6 Ecology) of the year are an important tool in establishing the areas of importance for the Australian Fairy Tern. In addition, it is also important to note that the Australian Fairy Tern opportunistically use areas depending on the occurrence of prey species. As such, it is critical to understand the interactions between marine
             and terrestrial factors and their influence on the areas used by Australian Fairy Terns. Areas that may be important habitat over time might not have birds in any given year. This pattern of ephemeral habitat use means that recent survey data and historical records need to be considered when assessing the relative importance of an area for the Australian Fairy Tern. Regular monitoring of known breeding sites will assist in determining local extent of inter-annual variation in colony size and use.

     Chapter 2

     Threats

2.1            Historical causes of decline

   The Australian Fairy Tern population has been in decreasing for at least the last 30 years (Garnett et al. 2011). The decrease is most prominent in the eastern population and is associated with the loss of key nesting habitats and disturbance from an increasing human population.

2.2            Current threatening processes

   The main threat to the Australian Fairy Tern is the disturbance of breeding sites by human activities (including bikes, dogs, horses, drones and vehicles) and predation by introduced species and native birds (TSSC 2011; Garnett et al. 2011; Dunlop 2018). Disturbance of breeding birds may cause direct loss of eggs and chicks or the abandonment of nesting sites resulting in egg-predation or chilling, or overheating of eggs, leading to egg death (Higgins and Davies 1996). Predators of the Australian Fairy Tern include Foxes (Vulpes vulpes), Dogs (Canis familiaris), Cats (Felis catus),
   Black Rats (Rattus rattus), Silver Gulls (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae), Pacific Gulls (Larus pacificus), raptors and ravens (Corvus spp.) (Saunders and de Rebeira 1985; Hill et al. 1988; TSSC 2011; Greenwell et al. 2019). Proximity to roads is also another threat for chicks that are fledging or practising flights. The species is also adversely impacted by extreme weather events such as heavy rainstorms and storm surges that reduce