A NATIONAL PLAN FOR SHOREBIRD CONSERVATION IN AUSTRALIA

Transcription

1 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR SHOREBIRD CONSERVATION IN AUSTRALIA Doug Watkins Australasian Wader Studies Group of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union 21 Gladstone Street Moonee Ponds, Victoria 3039 Australia Funded by World Wide Fund for Nature (Australia) June 1993 RAOU Report No. 90

2 Publication Details RAOU Report Number 90 ISSN National Library, Canberra Published June 1993 Copyright: Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union 21 Gladstone Street, Moonee Ponds, Victoria, 3039 Reports available from: Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union 21 Gladstone Street Moonee Ponds Melbourne, Australia. Phone: Fax: Price: Aus $ 25 Reference: Watkins, D A National Plan For Shorebird Conservation in Australia. Australasian Wader Studies Group. RAOU Report No.90.

3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Firstly, thanks to World Wide Fund for Nature for providing the funding for this six month project. The report is based on data collected during the Shorebird Studies Program commenced by the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union in I wish to express my thanks to all bird watchers that have contributed to the collection of data over the past 12 years and the Government Departments, companies and individuals that have provided funding for the Program. I would like to thank the members of the Australasian Wader Studies Group who developed the idea for this report and supervised its preparation - Mark Barter, Clive Minton, Jeff Campbell, Brett Lane and Phil Moors. For comments on early drafts and data presented in the report, thanks to Mark Barter, Richard and Margaret Alcorn, Marilyn Hewish, John Cox, Danny Rogers, Roger Jaensch, Brett Lane, Mike Fleming, Phil Straw, Phil Moors, Hugo Phillips, Shapelle McNee, Christina Lange, Luisa de Braganca, Grace Puerto, Mike Weston, Dennis Saunders, Stephen Garnett and Joy Pegler. Thanks also to officers of the Commonwealth and State/Territory conservation agencies who generously gave time to discuss shorebird conservation - Bill Phillips, Gary Driewen, Phil Straw, Alan Morris, Peter Smith, Jim Lane, Mike Fleming and Stuart Halse. Special thanks to the Barter family for providing a home for me in Melbourne during preparation of the report. Thanks to Peter Higgins, Mike Fleming, Mark Barter and Hugo Phillips for assistance with production of the report. The WA Group RAOU kindly provided access to their office facilities in Perth.

4 CONTENTS SUMMARY ACTION PLAN - RECOMMENDATIONS HOW TO USE THIS REPORT i ii viii 1.0 INTRODUCTION Shorebirds A National Approach to Shorebird Conservation IDENTIFYING IMPORTANT AREAS FOR SHOREBIRDS What is an Important Area? Criteria for Identifying Areas of International Importance in Australia 2.3 Criteria for Identifying Areas of National Importance in Australia Limitations of the Approach MINIMUM POPULATION ESTIMATES FOR SHOREBIRDS Methods Data Australia East Asian - Australasian Flyway Population Estimates Australia East Asian - Australasian Flyway SPECIES ACCOUNTS Outline Main Accounts Australian Pratincole Banded Lapwing Banded Stilt Bar-tailed Godwit Beach Thick-knee Black-fronted Plover Black-tailed Godwit Black-winged Stilt Broad-billed Sandpiper Bush Thick-knee Common Sandpiper Curlew Sandpiper Double-banded Plover Eastern Curlew Great Knot Greenshank Grey Plover 44

5 Grey-tailed Tattler Hooded Plover Inland Dotterel Large Sand Plover Latham's Snipe Little Curlew Marsh Sandpiper Masked Lapwing Mongolian Plover Oriental Plover Oriental Pratincole Pacific Golden Plover Painted Snipe Pied Oystercatcher Red Knot Red-capped Plover Red-kneed Dotterel Red-necked Avocet Red-necked Stint Ruddy Turnstone Sanderling Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Sooty Oystercatcher Terek Sandpiper Whimbrel Wood Sandpiper Brief Accounts Species Summary AREAS OF INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL IMPORTANCE FOR SHOREBIRDS National Overview State/Territory Important Area Accounts Western Australia Northern Territory Queensland New South Wales Australian Capital Territory Victoria South Australia Tasmania 133

6 6.0 ACTION PLAN FOR SHOREBIRD CONSERVATION Outline Conservation Agencies and Groups Commonwealth Government Agencies State/Territory Government Agencies Local Government Community Conservation Organisations Community Awareness and Support Land Management Land Use Planning Review of Local and Regional Planning Schemes Development Approval Process Conservation Reserve Network Ramsar Convention Areas Improving the Information on Shorebirds in Australia General Ecological Research Area Studies Surveys of Remote Areas Population Monitoring International Conservation Effort Review of Population Estimates and Area Listings REFERENCES 148

7 LIST OF FIGURES Table 1. Resident, Migratory and Vagrant Shorebirds in Australia 2 Table 2. Objectives of the Plan 4 Table 3. Table 4. Criteria for the Identifying Areas of International Importance for Shorebirds in Australia 6 Criteria for Identifying Areas of National Importance for Shorebirds in Australia 6 Table 5. Minimum Population Estimates Model for Shorebirds in Australia 11 Table 6. Table 7. East Asian - Australasian Flyway and Australia Minimum Population Estimates 18 Minimum Count Criterion for each Species to Identify Areas of International and National Importance (1% of the population) 19 Table 8. Australian Pratincole - Areas of International Importance 21 Table 9. Banded Lapwing - Areas of International Importance 23 Table 10. Banded Stilt - Areas of International Importance 24 Table 11. Bar-tailed Godwit - Areas of International and National Importance 27 Table 12. Beach Thick-knee - Areas of International Importance 28 Table 13. Black-fronted Plover - Areas of International Importance 29 Table 14. Black-tailed Godwit - Areas of International and National Importance 33 Table 15. Black-winged Stilt - Areas of International and National Importance 31 Table 16. Broad-billed Sandpiper - Areas of International and National Importance 32 Table 17. Common Sandpiper - Areas of International and National Importance 34 Table 18. Curlew Sandpiper - Areas of International and National Importance 36 Table 19. Double-banded Plover - Areas of International and National Importance 38 Table 20. Eastern Curlew - Areas of International Importance 38

8 Table 21. Great Knot - Areas of International Importance 41 Table 22. Greenshank - Areas of International and National Importance 43 Table 23. Grey Plover - Areas of International and National Importance 45 Table 24. Grey-tailed Tattler - Areas of International Importance 46 Table 25. Hooded Plover - Areas of International Importance 49 Table 26. Large Sand Plover - Areas of International Importance 51 Table 27. Little Curlew - Areas of International Importance 54 Table 28. Marsh Sandpiper - Areas of International and National Importance 55 Table 29. Masked Lapwing - Areas of International Importance 56 Table 30. Mongolian Plover - Areas of International and National Importance 58 Table 31. Oriental Plover - Areas of International Importance 59 Table 32. Oriental Pratincole - Areas of International Importance 61 Table 33. Pacific Golden Plover - Areas of International and National Importance 63 Table 34. Pied Oystercatcher - Areas of International Importance 66 Table 35. Red Knot - Areas of International and National Importance 68 Table 36. Red-capped Plover - Areas of International Importance 69 Table 37. Red-kneed Dotterel - Areas of International Importance 70 Table 38. Red-necked Avocet - Areas of International Importance 72 Table 39. Red-necked Stint - Areas of International and National Importance 74 Table 40. Ruddy Turnstone - Areas of International and National Importance 76 Table 41. Sanderling - Areas of International and National Importance 77 Table 42. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper - Areas of International Importance 79 Table 43. Sooty Oystercatcher - Areas of International Importance 80 Table 44. Terek Sandpiper - Areas of International and National Importance 82

9 Table 45. Whimbrel - Areas of International and National Importance 84 Table 46. Wood Sandpiper - Areas of National Importance 85 Table 47. Table 48. Table 49. Table 50. Table 51. The Number of Areas of International and National Importance for each Species and the Recognition of the Conservation Value of these Areas 89 Summary of the Conservation Status (RCV) of Areas of International and National Importance for Individual Species of Shorebirds (Species occurring in more than five Important Areas) 90 Areas in Australia of International and National Importance for five or more Species of Shorebirds 92 Conservation Status of Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds - Summary by State/Territory based on Area 93 Conservation Status of Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds - Summary by State on Number of Species of Importance 94 Table 52. Ramsar Listing of Internationally Important Areas for Shorebirds - Summary by State/Territory 94 Table 53. Table 54. Table 55. Table 56. Table 57. Table 58. Table 59. Table 60. Western Australia - Summary of Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 98 Western Australia - Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 100 Northern Territory - Summary of Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 106 Northern Territory - Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 108 Queensland - Summary of Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 111 Queensland - Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 112 New South Wales - Summary of Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 117 New South Wales - Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 118

10 Table 61. Table 62. Table 63. Table 64. Table 65. Table 66. Victoria - Summary of Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 122 Victoria - Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 123 South Australia - Summary of Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 128 South Australia - Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 129 Tasmania - Summary of Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 133 Tasmania - Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 135 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3. Figure 4. Figure 5. Figure 6. Figure 7. Western Australia - Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 96 Northern Territory - Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 107 Queensland - Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 110 New South Wales - Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 116 Victoria - Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 121 South Australia - Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 127 Tasmania - Areas of International and National Importance for Shorebirds 134 Figure 8. Action Flow Chart 138

11 SUMMARY A need has been recognised for a national and international approach to the conservation of the shorebirds that occur in Australia. For its part, the Australian Government has moved to meet this need through participating in a number of international agreements, such as the Ramsar Convention and Migratory Bird Agreements with Japan and China. This report examines the available information on shorebirds in Australia and provides recommendations on their conservation needs. There are 15 species of shorebird that are resident in Australia and an additional 34 species that are regular migrants. Most of the migrant species breed in northern China, Mongolia, Siberia and Alaska during June and July and then migrate to Australia for the non-breeding season. The migration route used by these birds is known as the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Flyway and Australian population estimates have been made for the individual species. The report identifies areas of international and national importance for shorebirds based on criteria developed from those used in the Ramsar Convention. The main criterion used to identify important areas is the support of 1%, or more, of the population of a species. It is estimated that a minimum of 1.1 million resident and 2 million migrant shorebirds occur in Australia. The application of these criteria to the species population estimates enables 180 areas of international importance and an additional 21 of national importance to be identified. The three most important areas are the south-east Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland, and Roebuck Bay and Eighty Mile Beach in Western Australia. Each are internationally or nationally important for between 19 and 23 species. Detailed accounts are given for 43 species of shorebirds and include population estimates, the areas of international and national importance, status, movements and conservation concerns for each species. Areas identified as being of international or national importance for shorebirds are also presented on a State/Territory basis. A review of the status of the important areas found that 21% are fully within conservation reserves and 28% are partly in conservation reserves or otherwise have some protection under planning provisions. The remaining 51% of the areas have no formal recognition of their conservation values. Only 14% of the areas of international importance are listed under the Ramsar Convention. An action plan is included in this Report and contains 29 recommendations. These cover increasing community awareness, improving land management, reviewing local and regional planning schemes, monitoring the development approval process, increasing the conservation reserve network, improving information on shorebirds and the continuing need to review the listings of important areas. The report will enable more informed decisions to be made about existing and proposed land use and land management activities and the potential for these to affect shorebirds. i

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13 The report has four main sections. HOW TO USE THIS REPORT (1) Criteria for Identifying Important Areas and Population Estimates (Pages 5-19). This section explains the criteria used to identify important areas, the data available and how it was used to produce the population estimates for each species. Population estimates model for Australia - Pages (Table 5). Minimum population estimates for each species in Australia and in the East Asian - Australasian Flyway - Page 18 (Table 6). Minimum count criterion for each species to identify areas of international and national importance - Page 19 (Table 7). (2) Species Accounts (Pages 21-92). The areas of international and national importance for each species are listed with the highest count recorded, the published reference for the count and the conservation status of each area. The text gives details on the status of each species, what is known of its movements in Australia and any international recoveries of banded birds. The number of areas of international and national importance for each species and the recognition of the conservation value of these areas - Pages 89 (Table 47). (3) Listings of Important Sites (Pages ). The areas of international and national importance in each State/Territory are listed giving details on the species for which each area is important. Listed for each of these species is the maximum number recorded, the national rank of that count, whether the record is of international or national importance and the published reference for the count. A summary of important areas is provided for each State/Territory. Areas in Australia of international or national importance for five or more species of shorebirds - Page 92 (Table 49). Conservation status of areas of international and national importance for shorebirds - summary by State/Territory based on area - Page 93 (Table 50). Ramsar listing of internationally important areas for shorebirds - summary by State/Territory - Page 94 (Table 52). (4) Action Plan (Pages ). This section presents general recommendations for the Commonwealth Government, State/Territory Governments, Local Governments and community conservation organisations to increase the conservation of shorebirds. vii

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15 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Shorebirds Shorebirds, also known as waders, are the birds that are seen feeding on coastal mudflats, estuaries and along the edges of inland wetlands. The shorebirds known to most people include the stilts and plovers that occur on lakes and the oystercatchers that are seen at the beach. In Australia there are 15 species of shorebirds that are resident and at least 36 species that are regular migrants (Table 1). In addition, there are at least 16 species that are occasionally recorded in Australia (vagrants). This Report covers shorebirds in the following groups: sandpipers, snipes, godwits, curlews and their allies (Scolopacidae), the Painted Snipe (Rostratulidae), thick-knees (Burhinidae), oystercatchers (Haematopidae), stilts and the Red-necked Avocet (Recurvirostridae), plovers and lapwings (Charadriidae) and pratincoles (Glareolidae) (Sibley and Monroe 1990). Three major habitat groups are used by shorebirds: (a) coastal mudflats, estuaries, shorelines and reefs, (b) inland wetlands, and (c) non-wetland areas. Most inland wetlands are temporary, flooding after rain and then drying. Shorebirds that use these wetlands must be very mobile in order to respond to changes in conditions. Most of the shorebirds that migrate to Australia are trans-equatorial migrants that breed in central and north-eastern Asia. These species breed during June and July, utilising the abundant food supply that is only available for a short period when the snow and ice melt. The two migrant species that differ from this pattern are the Double-banded Plover and the Australian Pratincole. The Double-banded Plover breeds in New Zealand and migrates to Australia during the February to September period. The Australian Pratincole breeds in Australia and migrates to Indonesia and New Guinea during the March to November period. The migration paths of the migrant species are termed flyways. The flyway used by species that migrate to and from Australia is called the East Asian - Australasian Flyway (Parish et al. 1987). The total number of shorebirds in this flyway has been estimated at 4 to 6 million (Parish 1987). Other flyways exist in the Americas, Europe/Africa and Central Asia/South Asia and Africa. ix

16 Table 1. Resident, Migratory and Vagrant Shorebirds in Australia Resident Banded Lapwing Banded Stilt Beach Thick-knee Black-fronted Plover Black-winged Stilt Bush Thick-knee Hooded Plover Inland Dotterel Masked Lapwing Painted Snipe Pied Oystercatcher Red-kneed Dotterel Red-necked Avocet Red-capped Plover Sooty Oystercatcher Vagrant Baird's Sandpiper Buff-breasted Sandpiper Caspian Plover Dunlin Grey Phalarope Hudsonian Godwit Lesser Yellowlegs Little Stint Little-ringed Plover Red-necked Phalarope Ringed Plover Spotted Redshank Stilt Sandpiper Upland Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Wilson's Phalarope Migratory Asian Dowitcher Australian Pratincole Bar-tailed Godwit Black-tailed Godwit Broad-billed Sandpiper Common Sandpiper Curlew Sandpiper Double-banded Plover Eastern Curlew Great Knot Greenshank Grey-tailed Tattler Grey Plover Large Sand Plover Latham's Snipe Long-toed Stint Little Curlew Marsh Sandpiper Mongolian Plover Oriental Plover Oriental Pratincole Pacific Golden Plover Pectoral Sandpiper Pin-tail Snipe Red Knot Red-necked Stint Redshank Ruddy Turnstone Ruff Sanderling Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Swinhoe's Snipe Terek Sandpiper Wandering Tattler Whimbrel Wood Sandpiper 2

17 1.2 A National Approach to Shorebird Conservation The problems for shorebirds in Australia have dramatically increased in the past 200 years because of changes in land management. During the first 150 years of European settlement of Australia there was little recognition of the need to consider nature conservation in decisions on land use and management. Attitudes slowly changed and as the need was recognised nature conservation was included in a compartmentalised approach to land use. This approach perceived nature conservation as being achieved simply by the designation of conservation areas. However, increasing demand for land and pressure for other forms of land use continues to impact negatively on shorebirds and shorebird habitat. There is a need for conservation of the natural environment to be seen as an integral component of the community's decisions on land use and management. The concept of ecological sustainability is now being embraced as a guide for appropriate development. In the past two decades, Australia has moved to recognise its responsibility to maintain the biodiversity and integrity of the natural environment. This is shown by its participation in international conservation agreements and in the framing of Commonwealth, State and Territory legislation. The international agreements relating to shorebird conservation to which Australia is a contracting party are the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance - especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention), the Japan-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA), the China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA) and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention). A national approach to shorebird conservation is required for both ecological and administrative reasons. Firstly, most species of shorebirds move between States and Territories during migration and/or in response to changes in wetland conditions. Secondly, as a contracting party to international agreements Australia has national responsibilities. To meet these responsibilities the Commonwealth Government requires the co-operation of State and Territory Governments. All species of shorebirds are now fully protected in Australia by legislation in each State and Territory. However, this legislation has often been interpreted in terms of species protection rather than habitat protection. To enable the effective conservation of shorebirds there is a pressing need for information to be generally available on shorebirds in a form that will assist in evaluating land use and management options. In order to fulfil Australia's international and national responsibilities in shorebird conservation it is essential that: (a) important areas for shorebirds are identified, (b) some additional areas of importance for shorebirds are added to the conservation reserve network, (c) shorebird conservation in areas outside conservation reserves is adequately addressed in land use and management decisions, and (d) management of all areas takes into consideration the needs of shorebirds. This Report focuses on identifying the internationally and nationally important areas in Australia for shorebirds. The information provided will enable the community and 3

18 governments to evaluate the extent to which our international responsibilities are being realised, and the impact that existing and proposed changes to land use and management may have on shorebirds. The detailed objectives of this Report are listed below in Table 2. Table 2. Objectives of the Plan (1) Develop criteria for the identification of internationally and nationally important areas for shorebirds, based on existing international agreements. (2) Apply the criteria to existing information on shorebirds to identify areas of international and national importance in Australia. (3) Review the extent to which areas of international and national importance for shorebirds in Australia are protected within the conservation reserve network or by planning provisions. (4) Provide recommendations on actions that are needed to improve the conservation of shorebirds that occur in Australia. 2.0 IDENTIFYING IMPORTANT AREAS FOR SHOREBIRDS 2.1 What is an Important Area? To evaluate land use and management decisions, and at the same time conserve shorebirds, it is important for the community and governments to be aware of the location and significance of important areas for shorebirds. This Report advocates the recognition of two levels of importance of areas for shorebirds, international and national. No attempt has been made in this Report to define or identify areas of State/Territory or regional importance because of the national approach to shorebird conservation taken in this Report. The principles used to define these two levels of importance for an area are based on: (a) the total number of shorebirds supported, and (b) the support of a specific percentage of the estimated population of a species or sub-species. This approach is consistant with that used to identify wetlands of international importance under the "Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat". The agreement is also known as the Ramsar Convention, named after the city in Iran at which the first meeting was held. All Australian States (except Queensland) and the Northern Territory have nominated areas for listing under this Convention. 4

19 2.2 Criteria for Identifying Areas of International Importance in Australia The two criteria from the Ramsar Convention that can be used to identify wetlands of international importance for shorebirds are: (a) sites that regularly support or more shorebirds, or (b) sites that regularly support 1% or more of the individuals in a population of one species or sub-species of shorebirds. These criteria have been widely accepted in Western Europe and north-west Africa and have been used to develop a preliminary list of wetlands of international importance (Scott 1980). Parish (1987) has suggested that, because of lower population levels in the East Asian - Australasian Flyway compared to the American and the East Atlantic Flyways, the " shorebirds" criterion should be revised downwards. This Report has continued to use the " shorebirds" that is currently recognised in the Ramsar Convention. The four major components of the Ramsar criteria require some elaboration and definition. These are: species and sub-species, population, regularly support and site (area). Species and sub-species: One of the aims of nature conservation is to maintain genetic diversity. For this reason it is important to recognise sub-species. These are described in ten of the migratory species and four of the resident species of shorebirds. Population: In this Report the population of an endemic species or sub-species is all of those birds in Australia. For species and sub-species that also occur outside Australia, the population is defined as all of the birds of that species or sub-species occurring in the East Asian - Australasian Flyway. All population estimates are "minimum" estimates. Regularly support: This Report considers an area to be of importance when it has exceeded the criteria on at least one occasion. This interpretation is used for two reasons. Firstly, the inland wetlands of Australia tend to be more temporal then those of Europe and America. In Australia, shorebirds need a much larger network of wetlands to enable them to move in response to changes in water levels. The second reason is that in some instances only one count is available for an area. Site (Area): The geographical unit that is used for an area in this Report is that which was used during data collection. Further studies need to be conducted on most areas to accurately define the ecological and management units. The term "area" is therefore used in this Report in recognition of this lack of information. Table 3. Criteria for Identifying Areas of International Importance for Shorebirds in Australia (1) Areas that support or more shorebirds; and/or (2) Areas that support 1% or more of the individuals in the East Asian - Australasian Flyway population of one species or sub-species of shorebird. 5

20 2.3 Criteria for Identifying Areas of National Importance in Australia The criteria proposed for the identification of nationally important areas (Table 4) are modelled on the international criteria. The major change is the use of 1% or more of the minimum population estimate for Australia, rather than the minimum flyway population estimate. As such the 1% values only change for those species that also occur outside Australia during February. The second modification is to lower the "total number of shorebirds" criterion from to This will ensure the protection of a greater number of areas then those identified under the international criteion. All of the internationally important areas are automatically included as nationally important sites. This Report focuses on the "percentage of the population" criterion because only a few additional sites were identified using the "10 000" criterion. For each of these sites counts were obtained using aerial surveys and no species breakdowns were available. It is to be expected that ground counts will eventually show that these areas meet the "percentage of the population" criterion. Table 4. Criteria for Identifying Areas of National Importance for Shorebirds in Australia (1) Areas where or more shorebirds have been recorded; and/or (2) Areas where 1% or more of the individuals of the Australian population of a species or sub-species of shorebird have been recorded. 2.4 Limitations of the Approach It needs to be noted that conservation measures based on "total number" or "percentage of a species population" criteria have some limitations. The approach: (a) identifies areas important for species that flock rather than those which occur singly or in small groups, (b) assumes that the total number of a species in an area equates with the importance of that area to each species, and (c) requires a comprehensive knowledge for each species of taxonomy, abundance and distribution. It should to be noted that many of the resident species of shorebird that use wetland habitats breed at low densities and then congregate as wetlands dry out. This means that refuge areas will tend to be identified, but breeding areas may not. Also species which normally occur at low densities (ie. Banded Lapwing, Beach Thick-knee, Black-fronted Plover, Bush Thick-knee, Common Sandpiper, Inland Dotterel, Latham's Snipe, Masked Lapwing and Pin-tail Snipe) will not be adequately protected by this approach 6

21 because few areas will be identified. In addition staging areas are very important for migrant species. These are sites where birds stop to feed during migration and replenish the fat reserves that are needed for onward migration. These sites will be important to far more birds than any single count will show because of the rapid turn-over of birds migrating through such an area (Smit and Piersma 1989). Young birds of most migrant species remain in Australia during the breeding season in their first year of life (Lane 1987). At this time of the year, these birds often move to a smaller number of favoured areas. These areas are of fundamental importance to these species in the long term and may not be identified by the standard criteria because the population of young birds may be only 10% of the species population. The 1% criterion requires a detailed understanding of the taxonomy of each species and its distribution. Further study of the genetics of shorebirds in the East Asian - Australasian Flyway is likely to show that additional sub-species exist and also occur in Australia (Barter 1989a, Barter 1991a). Many of the migratory species have several distinct breeding areas which may represent different sub-species migrating to different areas in the non-breeding season. Smit and Piersma (1989) have argued that the definition of population should be extended to distinguish biogeographical populations even if no morphometric differences exist. Species that are regular migrants to Australia, but which are not considered to occur in numbers greater or equal to 1% of the flyway population at any one area, are not addressed in detail in this Report. These species are the Asian Dowitcher, Long-toed Stint, Pin-tail Snipe, Swinhoe's Snipe, Pectoral Sandpiper, Redshank, Ruff and Wandering Tattler. A brief statement is made on each of these species at the end of the species accounts. 7

22 3.0 MINIMUM POPULATION ESTIMATES FOR SHOREBIRDS 3.1 Methods Population estimates based on detailed studies exist for only a few species of shorebirds in Australia. Two species, the Double-banded Plover and Latham's Snipe, have been studied in sufficient detail on their breeding grounds to allow accurate estimates of population size to be made (Pierce pers comm., Naarding 1986). Some population estimates have been produced from count data (Parish 1989, Lane 1987, Schulz and Bamford 1987). The two main methods used to develop population estimates are sample density and total counts. A calculation of the population from sample counts requires an understanding of the relationship between density and habitat availability. Total counts overcome this problem. However, the logistics of doing such a count are normally very complex. Numbers obtained from counts are likely to underestimate population size because it is difficult to obtain accurate figures from all areas of the species' distribution. For instance, the population estimate for the Double-banded Plover made on the breeding grounds in New Zealand (Pierce pers. comm.) is several times larger than the Australian count data suggests (Lane 1987). The second method is to do regional estimates of the density of the species and the availability of habitat. Examples of the application of this method are the Hooded Plover in Tasmania (Newman 1982), and Masked Lapwing, Black-winged Stilt and Little Curlew in the Alligator Rivers area of the Northern Territory (Morton et al. 1990). However these estimates are based on specific areas and a national population estimate requires similar estimates in other areas. The distribution of a species will change from year to year in response to the condition of the habitat (Lane 1987). Species that occur mainly on coastal habitats will have a more stable distribution than species that use both coastal and inland wetlands and species that just use inland wetlands. Using long term averages would compensate for this. Where there have been detailed studies of individual species of shorebirds, the resulting population estimates have been used (Latham's Snipe, Double-banded Plover and Hooded Plover). 3.2 Data on Shorebirds Australia Up until 1980 data were limited on the abundance of shorebirds and the location of important areas in Australia. To address this lack of information the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union (RAOU) commenced a shorebird research program and formed a specialist sub-group called the Australasian Wader Studies Group (AWSG). The Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service provided funding for the shorebird research program as part of meeting Australia's obligations under the Japan-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement. 8

23 The core research activity of the Shorebird Project was a national count program conducted in February and July of each year between 1981 and Over 700 bird-watchers were involved in these counts. Expeditions were mounted to remote areas and aerial surveys were conducted around northern Australia. The results of this program have been published in Shorebirds in Australia (Lane 1985). Since 1985 the AWSG has continued to count shorebirds in the Regular Count Project and the Population Monitoring Project. Regular reports on these projects have been published in The Stilt. Count data is held on a computer database at the RAOU headquarters in Melbourne. Most of the data is in "Apple - Pascal" format and this is difficult to access and manipulate because the software has not been updated since The RAOU count data has been supplemented with other information published since Data before this period has not been included because of the difficulty of collating the additional information in the time available. The earlier data may be valuable in identifying areas of importance to shorebirds. There is also concern that shorebird usage of specific areas and population levels may have changed. Data from the Field Atlas Project conducted by the RAOU has also been used to provide information on the relative abundance of some of the species (Blakers et al. 1984) East Asian - Australasian Flyway In the East Asian - Australasian Flyway the only large scale systematic count programs outside Australia have been those conducted in New Zealand and Japan. The count program in New Zealand, co-ordinated by the Ornithological Society of New Zealand, has been particularly successful with about 85% of the coastline being surveyed (Sagar 1989, Sagar 1991). This level of coverage is far higher than that achieved in Australia. The New Zealand counts have been conducted biannually in June/July and November/December since The highest number of shorebirds counted was in November/December 1991 (Sagar 1991). In Japan the counts have been conducted by the Wild Bird Society of Japan in April and September, both months corresponding to the migration periods (Wild Bird Society of Japan Research Division 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985). These data are of limited use in developing flyway estimates because they were not obtained at comparable times of the year to counts in Australia and New Zealand. In the past 10 years, extensive wetland surveys have been conducted by the Asian Wetland Bureau in co-operation with national conservation agencies in East and South-east Asia. These are yielding large amounts of information on shorebirds and wetlands (Parish and Prentice 1987, Long et al. 1988, Howes and Parish 1989, Silvius and Zieren 1990). In recent years a waterfowl census program has commenced in East and South-east Asia at a limited number of sites (Scott and Rose 1989). This program, co-ordinated by the International Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Bureau and the Asian Wetland Bureau, should result in data that will assist in refining the flyway population estimates. 9

24 3.3 Population Estimates Australia In order to derive minimum population estimates, a model of the distribution and abundance of shorebirds in Australia has been developed with the aid of a large spreadsheet (Table 5). The spreadsheet represents the distribution and minimum abundance of shorebirds during February. This month was chosen because the population of migrant species are considered to be most stable at this time of year. Most of the count data collected during the Shorebird Project was obtained in February. Each row of the spreadsheet represents a geographic zone. The zones used are those developed during the Shorebird Project (Lane 1987, Shorebirds in Australia - page 38). Each species is represented by a column. Some of these zones, mainly in coastal areas of south-eastern Australia, were surveyed comprehensively during the Shorebird Project. In these zones the mean February count was used as the minimum population estimate. In those zones with limited coverage during the Shorebird Project, data has been supplemented with information from other surveys. The estimate for these zones are based on a conservative extrapolation from the available data. Information on a species basis remains limited for large areas of the northern coast of Australia because of few ground counts. Total counts are available from aerial surveys (Lane 1987, 1888; Garnett 1987, 1989; Garnett and Taplin 1990). Problems exist because of the lack of information on species that occur at inland wetlands and on those that occur away from wetlands. There is almost no population size data for species such as the Banded Lapwing, Inland Dotterel and Bush Thick-knee. The minimum population estimates presented in Table 6 have been qualified with an index of the amount and nature of the data that is available on the species. A four level Data Index has been used: (1) - breeding area counts, (2) - considerable count data, (3) - limited count data, extrapolations used, and (4) - negligible count data. For the two species with a Data Index of (1), the Double-banded Plover and Latham's Snipe, there have been detailed estimates made on the breeding grounds. However, the non-breeding distribution of these species in Australia is not well known. 10

25 Table 5.1. Minimum Population Estimates Model for Shorebirds in Australia (WA, NT, Queensland) 11

26 Table 5.2. Minimum Population Estimates Model for Shorebirds in Australia (WA, NT, Queensland) 12

27 Table 5.3. Minimum Population Estimates Model for Shorebirds in Australia (NSW, Victoria, SA) 13

28 Table 5.4. Minimum Population Estimates Model for Shorebirds in Australia (NSW, Victoria, SA) 14

29 Table 5.5. Minimum Population Estimates Model for Shorebirds in Australia (Tasmania, Summaries) 15

30 Table 5.6. Minimum Population Estimates Model for Shorebirds in Australia (Tasmania, Summaries) 16

31 The species with a Data Index of (2), such as the Great Knot, Bar-tailed Godwit and Eastern Curlew, tend to occur on coastal mudflats in northern Australia. Aerial and ground counts during the Shorebird Project have produced a relatively good understanding of the distribution of these species (Lane 1987). The species for which there is some count data, but which have a less stable distribution in Australia, have a Data Index of (3). This includes migrant species such as the Red-necked Stint and Curlew Sandpiper and endemic species such as the Banded Stilt and Red-capped Plover. A conservative approach has been used to estimate numbers of the resident and endemic species. Almost no count data is available for five of the species considered in this Report. These have been assigned a Data Index of (4). The species are the Australian Pratincole, Banded Lapwing, Bush Thick-knee, Inland Dotterel and Painted Snipe. The population estimates for these species are subjective assessments of minimum numbers based on density and available habitat. It is expected that these estimates will be more conservative than those for other species. The population estimate model should be viewed as a preliminary representation of the distribution and abundance of shorebirds in Australia. The model is designed to be used at the national level and may be misleading for some species if used at the State level because of marked changes in distribution from year to year. The model suggests that Australia has a minimum of 2 million migrant and 1.1 million resident shorebirds East Asian - Australasian Flyway Developing estimates for shorebirds in the flyway outside Australia is even more difficult because less information is available. It was considered that there was insufficient information to develop a population estimate model for the flyway similar to that for Australia. Instead the approach taken involved estimating the percentage class of the flyway population, of each species or sub-species, that occurs in Australia in February. The percentage classes used are 100%, 90%, 75%, 50%, 25% and 10%. The flyway estimates are subjective assessments based on the available data, the level of coverage and the potential habitat identified for which there is no information. A conservative approach has been taken in estimating the population levels. The number of sub-species that are known to occur for each species in Australia and in the world are also listed in Table 6. The minimum flyway estimates suggest that the flyway must have in excess of 4.4 million individuals of the species occurring in Australia. This figure would increase by at least several hundred thousand birds when those species and sub-species that do not occur in Australia are included. 17

32 Table 6. East Asian - Australasian Flyway and Australian Minimum Population Estimates Data Population Estimate Sub- Species Index Australia % Flyway Species 18

33 Australian Pratincole Banded Lapwing Banded Stilt Bar-tailed Godwit :2 Beach Thick-knee Black-fronted Plover Black-tailed Godwit :3 Black-winged Stilt :5 Broad-billed Sandpiper :2 Bush Thick-knee Common Sandpiper Curlew Sandpiper Double-banded Plover :2 Eastern Curlew Great Knot Greenshank Grey Plover Grey-tailed Tattler Hooded Plover Inland Dotterel Large Sand Plover :3 Latham's Snipe Little Curlew Marsh Sandpiper Masked Lapwing :2 Mongolian Plover :5 Oriental Plover Oriental Pratincole Pacific Golden Plover Painted Snipe :2 19

34 Note: Data Index explained in Section Sub-species = number in Australia : number in the world. % = % of the species/sub-species that occurs in Australia. 20

35 Table 7. Minimum Count Criterion for each Species to Identify Areas of International and National Importance (1% of the population) Data Minimum Count Criterion Species Index National International Australian Pratincole Banded Lapwing Banded Stilt Bar-tailed Godwit Beach Thick-knee Black-fronted Plover Black-tailed Godwit Black-winged Stilt Broad-billed Sandpiper Bush Thick-knee Common Sandpiper Curlew Sandpiper Double-banded Plover Eastern Curlew Great Knot Greenshank Grey Plover Grey-tailed Tattler Hooded Plover Inland Dotterel Large Sand Plover Latham's Snipe Little Curlew Marsh Sandpiper Masked Lapwing Mongolian Plover Oriental Plover Oriental Pratincole Pacific Golden Plover Painted Snipe Pied Oystercatcher Red Knot Red-capped Plover Red-kneed Dotterel Red-necked Avocet Red-necked Stint Ruddy Turnstone Sanderling Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Sooty Oystercatcher Terek Sandpiper Whimbrel Wood Sandpiper

36 Note: Data Index explained in Section

37 4.0 SPECIES ACCOUNTS 4.1 Outline Accounts are presented for the 15 resident species and the 36 migratory species that regularly occur in Australia. Only short accounts are given for the eight migrant species that are considered to occur in numbers less then 1% of their East Asian - Australasian Flyway populations. Each species text outlines information on sub-species occurring in Australia, distribution within Australia, habitat, movements, recoveries of banded birds, comments on the population estimates, conservation status of the species and the important areas identified in the Report. A "Key Statistics" box is positioned in the upper right hand corner of each account and summarises: Conservation Concern: this is given when there is concern about the conservation status of the species as detailed in Extinct and Threatened Birds in Australia (Garnett 1992a), Sub-species: number of sub-species occurring in Australia and in the world (Lane 1987), Status: whether the species is endemic (occurs only in Australia), resident (occurs in Australia throughout the year, as well as in adjacent countries) or a migrant (most individuals of the species spend part of the year outside Australia); followed in brackets by the percentage of the population that occurs in Australia during February, Breeding: breeding area of migrant species (Lane 1987), Population estimate: the data index for the population estimate (see 3.3.1), the minimum population estimate for the flyway and the 1% criterion for areas of international importance, the minimum population estimate for Australia and the 1% criterion for areas of national importance, and Distribution: whether the distribution is coastal, inland or both. At the end of each account there is a table outlining the areas of international and national importance for the species. For each area the maximum count and reference is given, along with an index of the formal "recognition of the conservation value" of the area. The recognition of conservation value index (RCV) quantifies the extent to which existing land tenure or planning provisions exist to maintain the conservation values of an area. A four point index is used; *** - >90% of the area is within a conservation area, ** - 10% - 90% of the area is within a conservation area, * - <10% of the area has some form of planning controls that take into account nature conservation, and [ ] - Conservation values not recognised in existing land use planning. 23