Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285:reg:1:p1
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L01285
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 1 (pt 1/3)
Character Range: 20705–23851

1                   Summary
The National Recovery Plan for albatrosses and petrels (2022) provides a national strategy to guide the activities of government, industry, research organisations, and other stakeholders in the protection, conservation and management of listed threatened albatross and petrel species. The plan outlines the research and management actions necessary to stop the decline and support the recovery of the species so that their chances of long-term survival in nature are maximised. The plan also outlines the major benefits to other albatross and petrel species that are not listed as threatened, but will be affected by the implementation of the plan.
This recovery plan is the third plan for threatened albatross and petrel species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC Act). The plan replaces the previous plan adopted in 2011.
Seabirds remain among the world's most threatened bird species. Albatrosses and petrels in particular face an ongoing conservation crisis. Many threatened albatross and petrel species breed and/or forage in Australia's jurisdiction and distribute widely across the world's oceans and remote, offshore islands. These species face a range of threats to their long-term survival on land, particularly habitat degradation and predation by feral species, and at sea, particularly incidental catch during fishing operations. The recovery of threatened albatrosses and petrels relies on an integrated approach involving actions at domestic and international levels. Although Australian breeding and/or foraging populations of albatrosses and petrels, other than the endemic Shy Albatross (Thalassarche cauta), generally represent a small proportion of global populations, these species make a significant contribution to Australia's biodiversity.
The recovery plan recognises that recovery of threatened albatrosses and petrels will take longer than the 10-year life of the current plan due to the long generation lengths and life histories of the species concerned. It further acknowledges that a recovery plan should remain in place for affected species until such time as the conservation status of the species breeding and/or foraging in Australia's jurisdiction has improved to the point where populations are considered secure. The plan aims to provide continuity for recovery actions for these long-lived species, and also recognises that within the five-year timeframe for reviewing progress under a recovery plan there is insufficient time to determine accurately changes affecting the recovery of the species within Australia's jurisdiction. The plan also aims to provide continuity for international advocacy by Australia, particularly through the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, relevant regional fisheries and conservation bodies, and through engaging with range states and international bodies with an interest an expertise in conserving the species.

The long-term vision under this recovery plan is that the populations of albatross and petrel species breeding and/or foraging in Australia's jurisdiction have