A project dedicated to enhancing the habitats of the Eastern Hooded Plover and Australian Fairy Tern through sand re-nourishment efforts has received a boost.
This project is funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by Gippsland Ports, BirdLife Australia and the East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (CMA), a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.
There have been major declines to populations of Eastern Hooded Plovers, Fairy and Little Terns across Australia due to predation from introduced species, loss of habitat and human activities.
Breeding colonies are becoming rarer and many traditional nesting sites have been abandoned.
“Sand dredged by Gippsland Ports has been used to create critical breeding and feeding habitats across several locations in the Gippsland Lakes, restoring a further four hectares of vital habitat,” chief executive officer of East Gippsland CMA, Bec Hemming said.
“In addition to sand re-nourishment, the project will protect fringing wetlands and saltmarsh habitats surrounding the Gippsland Lakes by installing fencing to restrict stock and human access.”
The project will include the monitoring of key ecological health indicators of the Gippsland Lakes with the installation of water quality gauges and conducting surveys of migratory birds, frogs, saltmarsh and seagrass.
The data collected will inform management actions for the Gippsland Lakes throughout this project and into the future.
“Bird surveys are a big part of this project, and with over 20 years of data already captured, these efforts will continue,” Ms Hemming said.
“Sightings of terns already using the re-nourished area is a very encouraging early sign of the project’s success.”
Agency staff and volunteers will be out and about recording sightings to make sure the area stays safe for nesting birds.
This data will help guide future management actions, keeping the Gippsland Lakes healthy and sustainable into the future.
