Jen Spry stated that the Austral. Bittern is not listed as a threatened species
in Victoria:
'Well, I believe it has been in NSW but not yet in Vic. Why not in Vic? Well, a
cynic
would suggest that to declare it in Vic would require prime duck hunting
habitat (Reedy Lake, Geelong etc) to be closed to hunting, and that is not
likely to happen. '
Jen, the Australasian Bittern has long been listed as a threatened species
under Victoria's threatened species legislation, the Flora and Fauna Guarantee
Act 1988, as a quick look on the DSE website would show. This is the highest
level of legislative protection available. It was also included as Endangered
on the 'Advisory List of Threatened Vertebrate Fauna in Victoria' from the
beginning of such listings many years ago [sorry, I'm at home and my files on
these listings are at work]. Again, the Advisory List is available on the
website.
I doubt that duck hunting has much to do with the on-going decline in bittern
numbers. The general lack of water available for environmental purposes
throughout the bittern's range is surely of far greater significance, and is an
incredibly complex issue for the entire Australian community . [the Darling
River system, currently in beautiful flood, is mostly outside the range of this
species]
Peter Menkhorst
==============================www.birding-aus.org
birding-aus.blogspot.com
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