Helping Birds is also about land care and community involvement
Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation are the biggest factors causing the marked decline in Australia’s birds that we are currently witnessing. Rectifying this and restoring biodiversity is essential if we are to keep healthy populations of our birdlife into the future. This is a huge job that belongs to us all and that we can all contribute towards in whatever way we can.
Landcare Australia is an organisation that works with communities Australia-wide, helping them to care for their local areas within agriculture, local bushlands and reserves, coastal areas etc. King Island Natural Resource Management Group is a Member as are many individual farmers and land owners including myself. Anyone can join for a small fee.
Much of Landcare’s funding that they use to support on-ground and community involvement projects, comes from the federal government. However, without consultation, the government wants to make changes to how this money is used. They plan to reduce funding for biodiversity projects and local community engagement opportunities and instead focus on e.g. how many trees are planted. This is where birds come in. Birds need complex diverse habitat, not just trees.
Revegetation and rebuilding degraded land takes planning and support from local communities as well as land holders. Focusing on tree planting alone, is a minimalist approach which will not end in the outcomes we need.
If you care about birds and the restoration of their habitats, Landcare currently have a petition asking the government to undertake community consultation and fill the gaps in funding that appear to be lacking in their current proposals. You can sign it here:
or find out more about Landcare Tasmania here:
Thanks - on behalf of our birds...
Photo: Fencing off riparian zones allows regeneration along water courses. This helps to keep the water clean as well as providing important habitat for birds and links between larger patches of remnant bushlands. Photo by Tim Woodburn.
