Sunshine Coast residents can now have their say on a draft bird protection plan that includes closing sections of beaches for about six months each year.
The community can provide feedback on the draft Shorebird Conservation Plan 2025-2030, to help determine what actions should be a priority for the council for the next five years.
Councillor Tim Burns said shorebirds faced many threats and people could help by sharing parts of the coastline.
“Globally, many species of migratory shorebirds are in rapid decline due to habitat loss,” he said.
“Here on the Sunshine Coast, disturbance from human activities is their biggest local threat.”
The council has, during the past couple of years, urged beachgoers to avoid some areas, including at a popular dog beach, amid efforts to protect shorebirds.
Those efforts could be extended in coming years.
“The Shorebird Conservation Plan is the Sunshine Coast’s contribution to the worldwide conservation efforts to protect these species,” Mr Burns said.
“It proposes finding a balance so our community can enjoy our beautiful coastline while helping shorebirds survive here too.
“It suggests protecting local shorebird habitat, closing high-value roost sites between October and April, and creating more education and learning opportunities for our community and visitors to share ways co-exist with nature in our wildlife friendly biosphere.”
Councillor Maria Suarez said the region provided important habitat for migratory and resident shorebirds.
“Migratory shorebirds are the world’s most threatened species of birds, flying more than 10,000km from Siberia and Alaska all the way to our Sunshine Coast shoreline,” she said.
“These amazing birds spend most of their time feeding on the mudflats and sandbanks of the Pumicestone Passage and Maroochy River, as they need to more than double their body weight to store essential energy for their long journey back.
“Some local species prefer rocky shores, such as Point Cartwright, Mudjimba Island, Caloundra headland and Point Arkwright.
“As a coastal community, the Sunshine Coast provides important habitat for migratory shorebirds, but is also home to resident shorebirds that live here all year long and breed on our shores.”
The current shorebird conservation action plan has guided council’s actions to try and protect these threatened birds in the past four years.
The new plan is expected to continue this work and inform future actions to protect our shorebirds.
Visit Have Your Say before Monday, November 18, to provide feedback on the draft plan.
The aerial imagery in this story is from Australian location intelligence company Nearmap. The company provides government organisations, architectural, construction and engineering firms, and other companies, with easy, instant access to high-resolution aerial imagery, city-scale 3D content, artificial intelligence data sets, and geospatial tools to assist with urban planning, monitoring and development projects in Australia, New Zealand and North America.
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