Purpose

This policy will equip BirdLife Australia to address and respond to disturbance to birds arising from recreational activities in a way which increases the conservation outcomes for birds. This policy sits alongside and should be read in conjunction with other relevant BirdLife Australia policies and guidelines including our Recreational Waterfowl Hunting Policy and Ethical Birding Guidelines. Note that BirdLife’s other policies cover non-recreational disturbances to birds including both natural (wildfire, flood) and anthropogenic disturbances (land clearing, grazing by domestic livestock). The “Background ” section below describes some of the concepts and issues around disturbance to birds due to recreational activities, as an aid to interpreting this policy. Policy 1. BirdLife Australia holds that disturbance to birds and their habitats due to recreational activities should be avoided and minimised wherever possible where these activities may have potential negative effects on native bird populations. 2. BirdLife Australia will apply this policy in a precautionary manner, basing decisions and actions on the best available knowledge and not avoiding conservation action solel