New nest boxes and improved habitat are helping protect endangered Gould's petrels and other native wildlife on Barunguba Montague Island Nature Reserve. These efforts are building the resilience of at-risk native species to H5 avian influenza (bird flu).
Barunguba is an island off the south coast of NSW, near Narooma. It is home to a range of seabirds and marine mammals. This includes more than 90 bird species and hundreds of fur seals. The island is also a culturally significant place to the Yuin people.
With support from Australian Government H5 bird flu funding, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has been preparing at-risk species on the island. This includes through improving habitat and reducing other threats. Their project is:
- installing nest boxes for Gould's petrel
- removing weeds that impact seabird habitat and can entangle birds
- installing a rapid detection system to help keep the island free of pest animals
- improving population data on seabirds and fur seals through surveys.
These actions are creating nesting habitat across the island for the petrels and other seabirds like little penguins. This is helping make sure the birds have plenty of spots to nest around the island. More nesting habitat helps support larger, more-resilient populations. It also reduces the risk of disease spread.
Protecting Gould's petrels on Barunguba Montague Island
These efforts are more important than ever now that H5 bird flu has arrived in Australia. This includes a detection on Barunguba.
This project is one of a suite of threat mitigation projects being delivered by NSW Government. These are supported through the Australian Government's commitment of more than $270 million to tackle H5 bird flu.
This project complements planning and preparedness work delivered by NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and NPWS to prepare for the arrival of H5 bird flu in Australia. This includes a preparedness plan for Barunguba Montague Island Nature Reserve and previous habitat improvement work on the island. This planning work was also supported by funding from the Australian Government.
