Today’s celebrations of World Wetlands Day are tainted by the plans to shoot native ducks on our wetlands in a matter of weeks.
Wetlands are under immense pressure worldwide, with over 64% of wetlands destroyed since 1900.
Because of their international significance, we have ten Ramsar listed wetlands in Tasmania. From the first weekend in March the sound of rifles will be heard over several of them.
On our wetlands each year we see birds shot in mid-flight, in many instances hitting the water alive, riddled with shrapnel. Too often our native birds die a slow, painful, pointless death.
The University of New South Wales’ Eastern Australian Waterbird Survey reported bird numbers down across the board, due to dry conditions. It’s inexcusable to put more pressure on our bird populations.
In the spirit of World Wetlands Day, we should announce we’ll join Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland and ban our annual duck shooting season.
Successive state governments have let this brutal tradition continue. This is about satisfying the amusement of a very few shooters, at the expense of broad community expectations.
We can’t celebrate our wetlands and their inhabitants one day, and then commit to killing them in a month’s time.
It’s time for Minister Groom to do his job, speak up and protect Tasmania’s wetlands and the native animals living there.
Rosalie Woodruff MP | Greens Environment spokesperson
