What do the results mean?

Due to the large area covered by the Lakes, there are very few total waterbird counts. Condition is assessed on the basis of diversity (species richness) and abundance of indicator species that represent different functional groups (fish eating species, ducks, herbivores and waders). Abundance of total waterbirds and all indicator species is representative of good condition. Data from multiple sources indicates that at least 90 wetland dependent bird species have been recorded across the Gippsland Lakes in the past five years. This includes rare and threatened species such as the Australasian bittern. This is an achievement of the Resource Condition Target and indicates “good” waterbird diversity.