Drought Causes Waterbird Numbers in Eastern Australia to Plummet by 50%

Waterbird numbers in eastern Australia have halved in a year amid drought conditions.

The latest annual survey of waterbirds in eastern Australia, led by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, recorded 287,231 birds between August and October, down 50.4 per cent from 579,641 birds in 2023.

The survey, which has been conducted annually by researchers and government staff since 1983, covers a third of mainland Australia and is one of the most important datasets on the health of river and wetland biodiversity.

The 2024 survey found that three key indicators of waterbird health - total numbers, number of breeding species and total wetland area - continue to show significant long-term declines.

The total wetland area was 122,283 hectares, which the report says is well below the long-term average.

The highest abundance of waterbirds was found in the north-western regions of the state of Queensland, which covers the north-east of the continent, where 17 per cent of all birds surveyed were observed.

Edited by: YJ
Reviewed By: Maggie
Contact: v10@cbcgdf.org; +8617319454776

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