FIELD & Game Australia fired back, arguing the survey results were a sign to support game bird hunting.
Chief executive Lucas Cooke said despite repeated references to long-term declines in total waterbird numbers, the results this year showed the highest number of game birds in 20 years.
“(This is) hardly surprising considering the resilience of game birds, which can and do bounce back from leaner years to explode in numbers when conditions are favourable,” he said.
“There has been some concern that game bird numbers are not recovering to the same extent as in the past, however this year’s survey results show the greatest single-year increase in waterbird numbers since 2011, and the third-biggest ever since the records began.
“These results underscore the importance of wetland habitats for healthy waterbird populations, indicating a very strong correlation between the abundance of healthy habitat and the abundance of game bird species.”
Mr Cooke referred to the report, saying: “Availability of wetland habitat is a major driver of waterbird abundance, breeding and diversity.
“Reductions in habitat area and persistence due to climate change, river regulation and water extraction have resulted in ongoing long-term declines, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin.”
Mr Cooke said the high abundance of certain game species suggested that regulated, species-specific hunting did not have an impact on numbers but rather was a vital part of a balanced conservation strategy.
“The presence of high numbers of certain duck species presents an opportunity to balance ecological health with economic activities like hunting, which can fund further conservation efforts,” he said.
“Field & Game Australia and its hunter-conservationists play a crucial role in conservation by supporting habitat protection initiatives and advocating for sustainable water management – and have done so for more than 60 years, when the organisation’s members took it upon themselves to secure habitat for waterbirds to ensure healthy populations into the future.”
