Give Australian wildlife a fighting chance against bird flu

Australians are waiting anxiously to learn whether we are about to face devastating bird flu outbreaks in our wildlife. H5 bird flu has already wiped out millions of wild birds and thousands of mammals overseas — and now it’s at our doorstep.

We can’t stop this disease. But we can give our most vulnerable native species a fighting chance.

We’re calling on the Australian Government to establish a Wildlife Resilience Fund: an initial 2-year, $200-million investment to help species like Australian sea lions, orange-bellied parrots and fairy terns survive and recover.

This is exactly the approach the Government itself has said is needed. As Minister Watt has told the public, the best way to protect species most vulnerable to H5 bird flu is to ensure they have strong, healthy populations — which means stepping up work to repair habitat and manage threats like weeds, feral cats, foxes and pigs.

We’re calling on the Government to:

• Invest in species conservation — boost the populations and survival prospects of species assessed as highly susceptible to bird flu.
• Invest in threat mitigation — reduce the existing pressures undermining wildlife’s ability to withstand disease outbreaks, such as eradicating invasive predators from seabird breeding islands and restoring wetland habitats for waterbirds.

This would build on the bird flu preparedness work the Government has already started — and scale it up to match the scale of devastation bird flu could cause.

If the worst happens and Australians are confronted with images of dead animals strewn across our beaches and wetlands, we will want to know that everything possible was done beforehand. And regardless of how the outbreak unfolds, this investment leaves a lasting, positive legacy: islands cleared of exotic predators, wetlands restored, and wildlife more resilient to every other threat they face.

This is a proactive, no-regrets investment in hope. Add your name and tell Minister Watt to establish a Wildlife Resilience Fund now — before it’s too late.