Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00043:reg:2:p2
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00043
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 2 (pt 2/3)
Character Range: 11606–14823

et al. 2012; Iwamura et al. 2013; Murray et al. 2014).

  As some migratory shorebird populations decrease there is a growing need to minimise threats to the remaining habitats that are critical for their ongoing survival (MacKinnon et al. 2012). This need is occurring in the face of ever-increasing human development and loss of habitat. Efforts to conserve migratory shorebirds in one country can only be effective with cooperation and complementary actions in all countries that shorebirds visit.

Australia is therefore well positioned to lead conservation and research action for migratory shorebirds in the EAAF that would otherwise be difficult to achieve. As migratory shorebird
populations in Australia remain stable for about three months of the year (December to February), Australia plays an important role in monitoring population changes in the species that regularly visit here.

Australia's national shorebird monitoring programme, Shorebirds 2020– coordinated by BirdLife Australia–has expanded its monitoring coverage to include remote and sparsely populated areas in northern Australia, particularly in the Gulf of Carpentaria region. The Gulf of Carpentaria contains internationally and nationally important habitat for migrating and wintering shorebirds, with extensive and largely pristine wetlands and beach habitats.
Accurate information on shorebird abundance and distribution is urgently required from this region, particularly in light of recent steep declines in southern Australia. Whether these declines are
mirrored in northern Australia will have implications for the management of important habitat in
the region.

The growing and skilled workforce of Indigenous land and sea management organisations (including ranger programmes based in remote areas with management authority for extensive beach and wetland habitats) presents a valuable opportunity to improve information about migratory shorebirds in northern Australia. Partnerships between BirdLife Australia and the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) are already developing to achieve this aim. There are likely to be many unidentified migratory shorebird areas, particularly in northern Australia, that meet the criteria of important habitat (Section 7).

Monitoring and research projects undertaken by governments, academic institutions and conservation groups in Australia and other parts of the EAAF continue to indicate decreasing migratory shorebird populations, largely attributed to ongoing loss of critical intertidal habitat in east Asia (MacKinnon
et al. 2012; Murray et al. 2014). For the migratory shorebird populations that visit Australia to have a reasonable chance of survival through this century, increased levels of habitat protection, and in some cases restoration, are needed throughout the EAAF.

  2.1 Review of the
        2006–2011 Wildlife
Conservation Plan

  After reviewing progress made in the conservation of Australia's migratory shorebirds since 2006, some fundamental problems with the previous wildlife conservation plan were identified. Specifically, only moderate progress was made against the objectives and actions in the original plan. Of the