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Waterbird and migratory shorebird monitoring in the Gippsland Lakes

Birgita Hansen , Chris Healey, Deb Sullivan, Dan Weller

Abstract

The Gippsland Lakes is one of 12 wetland systems in Victoria listed under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, with waterbird abundance and species diversity being a major contributing factor toward the nomination (Criteria 5 and 6). Waterbird monitoring in the Gippsland Lakes region has been running since the 1980s. The key programs are BirdLife Australia’s Beach-nesting Birds program and Australian Shorebird Monitoring Program, the Gippsland Lakes Important Bird Area monitoring program and the Latham’s Snipe Project. Overall, these programs have revealed variable patterns in abundances across species, with some appearing to decline and others likely to be moving out of the Gippsland Lakes system in wet years. Apparent population decreases may reflect changes in foraging habitat suitability but gaps in survey coverage mean that some birds are almost certainly being missed during monitoring. Investment to support a comprehensive assessment of all data sources to determine the specific nature of apparent species’ trends is urgently required.

RS23030  Accepted 23 April 2024

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