02/02/2006 - The Australian Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell, marked World Wetlands Day 2006 by announcing $1.533 million to further protect Australia’s ecologically significant wetlands and the migratory shorebirds that depend on them.
“As the ‘kidneys of the landscape’, wetlands help filter the water that reaches our coasts and oceans. They have an impact on many different elements of our natural environment – from icons such as the Great Barrier Reef to migratory bird patterns and farming practices,” Senator Campbell said.
Senator Campbell announced a number of projects to help protect Australia’s wetlands and migratory shorebirds:
• The launch of the Wildlife Conservation Plan for Migratory Shorebirds, the first conservation plan developed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. This plan will support the survival of 36 species of migratory shorebird which regularly visit Australian wetlands. $988,000 will be devoted to the initial implementation of the plan, from 2005 to 2007.
• $475,000 under the Queensland Wetlands Programme to work towards protecting wetlands in the Great Barrier Reef catchment through conservation agreements, the creation of rehabilitation guidelines and a decision support system.
• The launch of six interactive wetlands information booths in the Great Barrier Reef catchment to further empower the community in developing their knowledge and need for the protection and remediation of coastal wetlands, at a total cost of $70,000.
• The release of the 14th edition of Wetlands Australia, National Wetlands Update 2006, which showcases wetland conservation efforts from areas as diverse as the sub-Antarctic Heard and McDonald Islands to tropical wetlands in North Queensland.
• The launch of the WetlandLink website – this Natural Heritage Trust-funded website will provide reader friendly wetlands management information for catchment management authorities and landholders on the New South Wales coast.
“I would like to congratulate those Australians who are celebrating our magnificent wetlands today, such as the children of South Australia’s Eastern Fleurieu and Mt Compass Primary Schools and the volunteers planting sedge along Western Australia’s Canning River foreshore,” Senator Campbell said.
“On World Wetlands Day I would urge all Australians – in the city or the bush – to think about what they can do to protect their local wetlands.”
The Wildlife Conservation Plan for Migratory Shorebirds is available at www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/migratory/waterbirds/shorebird-plan/index.html
To access the World Wetlands Day website, including information on community activity in each state and territory go to www.deh.gov.au/water/wetlands/day/index.html
The Wetlands Australia-National Wetlands Update 2006, Issue No. 14 is available at www.deh.gov.au/water/publications/index.html#wetlands
The WetlandLink website is available at www.wetlandlink.com.au