Australasian Seabird Group hosts inaugural meeting of National Australian Fairy Tern Recovery Team

The Australian Fairy Tern Sternula nereis nereis was listed as a Threatened Species under EPBC Act in 2011. In 2022, the Commonwealth published the Australian Fairy Tern Recovery Plan. One action of the Recovery Plan was the establishment of a national Recovery Team, but as this had not progressed, the ASG took on the task to establish the team following discussions with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). 

In late May 2025, the ASG hosted the inaugural meeting of National Fairy Tern Recovery Team, with researchers from five states and government representatives from three states in attendance. Discussions focussed on the current status and trends of Fairy Terns throughout their current distribution, identifying the data to be collected and shared to advance the Recovery Team’s efforts, and the options for a national banding program to provide information on the movements and survival of birds throughout Australia. With both the spectrum and intensities of threats to Fairy Terns increasing around Australia, the Recovery Team’s efforts will be critical to ensure the success of all management efforts. 

Image: Claire Greenwell