The UNSW Centre for Ecosystem Science (CES) strongly supports efforts to assess Australia’s migratory shorebirds for listing under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999).
12 November 2014
The Director, Migratory Species Section
Wildlife, Heritage and Marine Division
Department of the Environment
PO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2601
E: species.consultation@environment.gov.au
Dear Director,
SUBMISSION ON THE PROPOSED EPBC LISTING OF EASTERN CURLEW (Numenius madagascariensis)
The UNSW Centre for Ecosystem Science (CES) strongly supports efforts to assess Australia’s migratory shorebirds for listing under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999). To assist this process, we are pleased to provide a submission on the proposed listing of Eastern Curlew as Endangered. Our submission offers scientific advice, provides several new references and highlights several new issues that are relevant to this listing.
First, we agree that the Eastern Curlew is eligible for listing as Endangered. However, the population estimates provided in the listing advice are outdated, likely overestimating the true population. A recently published update of the Bamford et al (2008) report suggests that the global Eastern Curlew population is closer to 32,000 than the 38,000 stated in the listing advice (WWF).
Second, the listing advice quite rightly identifies Yellow Sea habitat loss as a major threat to shorebirds in the EAAF. However, a recently completed IUCN Red List of Ecosystems assessment of the Yellow Sea tidal flat ecosystem (Endangered) has revealed that in addition to the ~65% decline in areal extent of tidal flats, tidal flats are severely degraded due to overfishing, pollution and resource extraction (Murray et al., in press). This assessment showed extreme declines of a range of environmental variables that indicate the entire ecosystem is at risk of collapse, including sediment inputs, benthic species diversity and fisheries production. Thus, conservation measures supported by the Australian Government that are focused on the Yellow Sea region should not only focus on habitat loss, but must also include amelioration of these additional threats, none of which were identified in the listing advice.
Lastly, we urge the Commonwealth Government to rapidly assess all migratory shorebird species that are listed as migratory under the EPBC Act. Data are emerging from across the flyway that several other species have undergone declines as severe as both Eastern Curlew and Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea). For example, in addition to the Eastern Curlew, there are proposals for adding the Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica), Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostrus) and Red Knot (Calidris canutus) to the Convention of Migratory Species Concerted Action List, demonstrating widespread international concern for these species. Indeed, several Australian species are listed as Least Concern or greater on the global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Please find a detailed point-by-point response to the questions to stakeholders below. The yearly migration of shorebirds across the East Asian-Australasian Flyway is among the most remarkable natural phenomena on Earth and swift action, including urgent assessments of shorebirds for listing on the EPBC Act, is required to sustain this migration.
Yours faithfully,
Nicholas Murray Research Associate
Richard Kingsford Director
Rachael Blakey PhD Candidate
On behalf of the UNSW Centre for Ecosystem Science
To read more, download the full submission below.