Joint media release: Migratory birds given greater chance to survive and thrive

Senator the Hon Murray Watt, Minister for the Environment and Water
The Hon Lucy Hood MP, South Australian Minister for Climate, Environment and Water

A vital wetland for migratory birds has been restored in South Australia’s Limestone Coast region, providing a critical resting and feeding spot for a range of important bird species.

The $11.7 million Lake Hawdon North project near Robe is now complete, restoring and expanding critical habitat for species in the Coorong and Limestone Coast region, including the sharp-tailed sandpiper, curlew sandpiper, common greenshank and red-necked stint.

In recent years, populations of shorebirds and waterbirds have declined due to the loss and fragmentation of their wetland habitats.

This project has made a significant contribution to addressing that decline by increasing the size and quality of a critical wetland habitat five-fold.

Through the project, a new water regulator has been installed at the western edge of Lake Hawdon North.

The regulator allows the water level in the lake to be managed to prolong periods of shallow inundation into the late summer and early autumn, which are ideal conditions for birds to safely rest, relax and feed in. When flows are high, water will pass uninterrupted through the regulator.

Fish will be able to bypass the regulator using a new rock-ramp fishway, which was constructed as part of the project. The project also installed new fencing, built new access tracks, and completed minor earthworks – all ahead of schedule.

As water availability shifts across seasons, waterbirds move through networks of wetlands in search of food and shelter.
Restoring Lake Hawdon North strengthens this network and supports the long-term health of bird populations in the Coorong region.

The project has also provided outcomes for a wide range of plants and animals that rely on the Coorong and South-East region.

The Lake Hawdon North project was jointly funded by the Australian and South Australian governments as part of the $77.8 million Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin program.

For more information about the Lake Hawdon North Project visit the Department for Environment and Water website.

Quotes attributable to Federal Minister for the Environment and Water, Murray Watt: 

“The Albanese Government is pleased to partner with the Malinauskas Government to maintain and expand habitat in places like Lake Hawdon North and Australia’s iconic Coorong, a wetland of international significance.

“Wetlands like Lake Hawdon North support migratory birds that travel from as far as Siberia to feed and rest, which underlies its importance to the entire world.

“These wetlands also provide immense economic value to South Australian communities and are culturally significant to the First Nations of the South East.”

Quotes attributable to the SA Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, Lucy Hood: 

“This incredibly important restoration project enhances Lake Hawdon North as a key shorebird refuge and supports the conservation of a number of endangered and vulnerable species.

“These upgrades will help to recreate a more natural hydrological environment for shorebirds, including by extending the duration of optimal water levels at the wetland through late summer and autumn via the use of a new wetland regulator.
“Wetlands like Lake Hawdon North, and the Coorong more broadly, are vital for our environment and restoration projects like this help to create more resilient landscapes.”