Birds on the wane as waters recede
Leigh Dayton; 10/4/08;
The population of Australia’s resident shorebirds has plummeted more than 80 per cent since 1983, while the number of migratory shorebirds visiting the continent has dropped nearly 75 per cent. The worrisome trend was revealed by University of NSW wildlife ecologists who conducted aerial surveys of shorebirds along eastern Australia between 1983 and 2006. The drastic decline in shorebird numbers was primarily because of loss of wetlands through regulation of rivers for agriculture and urban use, the team reported yesterday in the journal Biological Conservation.
See: The Australian; No Internet Text
Team leader Richard Kingsford said: “We are essentially getting down to the last wetland area needed to keep” these shorebirds going.” That was critical, he said, as not only did the inland waters feed coastal habitats but many shorebirds lived inland. “If we start returning flows to river systems we will start to restore some of this habitat,” Professor Kingsford said.
According to Climate Change and Water Minister Penny Wong, the recent Murray-Darling Basin agreement and the $50 million water buy-back scheme will help address such issues. “These sorts of challenges are the reason why we’ve acted to secure a sustainable future for the Murray-Darling Basin,” Senator Wong said.
The survey indicated that 10 wetland areas, eight inland and two coastal, supported the highest number of shore-birds. The best known are Roebuck Bay, near Broome, Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay, the NSW Hunter River estuary and Hervey Bay, in Queensland.
“We also need to enter into proper and full negotiations with China and Korea about key staging areas along the fly-way,” Professor Kingsford said.
He noted those areas were inhabited by 600 million people and that existing international agreements were “motherhood statements” that were largely ineffective. “We have to take these issues seriously and we’re not at the moment,” he said.
PM flags big battle on global emissions
Rowan Callick; 10/4/08
Kevin Rudd picked up two flags in front of him as he opened his speech last night to the Global Foundation’s clean energy conference in Beijing. Holding first the Australian flag then the Chinese flag, he said: “This is the largest coal exporter, this is the largest coal consumer. “If between us we can’t fix this problem, I don’t think the rest of the world will think well of us. It’s a core challenge.” Last night’s gathering, he said, was focused on “the greatest economic and environmental challenge we’ll be facing this century”.
See; http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23515041-11949,00.html
Rudd plan ‘worse for Murray’ - Amanda Hodge; 9/4/08; http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23509916-11949,00.html
Earth in crisis, NASA scientist warns; 7/4/08; http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23500151-11949,00.html
Teeming river to dust bowl; Amanda Hodge;5/4/08; http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23485369-30417,00.html
Tags: Australia, China, Environment, Global