Photo: Australian Painted Snipe [Image: Eric Tan – Birdlife Australia]
An endangered water bird found in the Macquarie Marshes could have a harder time repopulating after the federal government paused environmental water releases in NSW.
Wildlife ecologist Matt Herring said the Australian Painted Snipe breeds best in a combination of shallow water, mud flats and water plant cover such as that provided by wetlands to the west of Quambone.
However, the Marshes rely heavily on environmental releases to be maintained, and Mr Herring said the pause announced by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) on 18 August could have a “significant” impact on the population.
“It is urgent because birds like this are coming into the start of their breeding season and they’re looking for the very best sites that the landscape has to offer,” Mr Herring said.
“It’s an area that they’re familiar with from last season and without any environmental water available they won’t be catered for.
“This situation is just as relevant to a whole bunch of other biodiversity, not just birds.”
Under a recent new interpretation of water rules, Water Holder Dr Simon Banks said water reserved under an environmental licence needs to be metered.
He said the change has prompted him to “temporarily” stop water being released into river systems until he is confident that CEWH is compliant with regulations.
He did not answer specific questions on who instigated the review or provided the updated advice, or what the old interpretation was.
“As we gain confidence that our watering actions are consistent with NSW rules, we will approve the relevant watering actions commencing. We are seeking to do this as methodically and quickly as possible,” Dr Banks said.
In the early 2020s, government authorities put Australian Painted Snipe population at around 340 mature-aged birds after declines over the previous five years.
Last year, researchers including Mr Herring made a rare set of Painted Snipe catches in the Marshes, allowing them to tag and track the critters.
“Finding a legal solution to this water metering issue as urgently as possible would mean that species like the Painted Snipe are not impacted as much as they could be,” Mr Herring said.