Senator The Hon Murray Watt, Minister for the Environment and Water
Lucy Hood MP, South Australian Minister for Climate, Environment and Water
The Albanese Government is injecting a further $1.5 million to support South Australia's native species most at risk from a potential H5 bird flu outbreak.
The South Australian Department for Environment and Water is working alongside landscape boards to undertake ground-based and aerial invasive species control, weed management and revegetation works at various sites.
These activities focus on areas that provide internationally important habitats for many species vulnerable to H5 bird flu, including Australian sea lions, fairy terns, white-bellied sea eagles and pelicans.
They include Ramsar and remote wetlands, offshore islands and other critical sites used by migratory shorebirds, seabirds and waterbirds.
Project highlights include:
- Habitat restoration and feral bird control on the offshore islands of Fleurieu Peninsula.
- Predator control and habitat restoration to safeguard migratory and threatened birds on the Limestone Coast.
- Fox and feral cat control to protect vulnerable bird species' breeding, nesting and roosting sites along the metropolitan coastline.
- Invasive pig control at the Coongie Lakes Ramsar site in the Far North.
This funding is part of the Albanese Government's broader $100 million investment to prepare for H5 bird flu, helping State and Territory Governments to be as ready as possible for a potential outbreak.
This includes $35.9 million for environment measures, with the following investments already underway in South Australia:
- $1.4 million to boost Australian sea lion resilience, jointly funded with the South Australian Government.
- $300,000 to support species and site preparedness planning.
- More than $130,000 to protect captive populations of threatened species in facilities across the state.
The Malinauskas Government has also delivered a new mobile biosecurity laboratory to enable rapid processing and turnaround of samples - a critical factor during emergency animal disease outbreaks.
Quotes attributable to Federal Minister for the Environment and Water, Murray Watt:
"The best way we can protect species most vulnerable to H5 bird flu is to have strong and healthy populations.
"This means work repairing habitat and managing threats like weeds, feral cats, foxes and pigs is more important than ever."
Quotes attributable to SA Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, Lucy Hood:
"We are taking action to protect our native wildlife from H5 bird flu and boosting South Australia's preparedness by addressing other threats.
"These projects aim to build ecological resilience and bolster populations, giving the best chance of recovery for at-risk species in an outbreak scenario."
