Toondah Harbour: Save the Bay
Together, we saved Toondah Harbour. We won this battle because of the sustained pressure and opposition from everyday Australians. But this is just the start!
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Together, we saved Toondah Harbour, and together, we can save all the birds you love and the places they live!
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all those who have worked tirelessly towards this outcome. With a huge shout out to the Save Toondah Alliance, the local leaders driving this people powered campaign. And to everyday Australians who took actions to save Toondah’s wetlands and the diverse species of birds which live there.
We won! But this is just the start.
We will continue to support the Save Toondah Alliance as they advocate that the Queensland Government amend the state policies that created this issue to begin with.
But our focus now must turn to fixing Australia’s broken nature laws so that special bird havens like Moreton Bay’s Toondah Harbour are protected forever. Ten years of fighting for Toondah Harbour have shown us that the current Ministerial powers enable a way around the law. Allowing exemptions will not stop extinctions. This is a call to action for all of us, to continue our efforts and ensure the protection of our precious natural resources.
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Why BirdLife Australia vehemently opposed Walker Corporation’s proposal:
- Walker Corporation’s proposal to develop Toondah Harbour disregarded the sanctity of one of the oldest and most respected international conservation treaties, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Significance.
- The proposed project would have permanently destroyed over 40 hectares – the equivalent of about 10 MCGs – of the treaty-listed Moreton Bay Ramsar Site.
- The project area provides important feeding habitat for the Critically Endangered Eastern Curlew. Each year, adult curlews migrate back and forth between Toondah and their Arctic breeding grounds, while juveniles live at Toondah Harbour throughout the year.
- The Eastern Curlew is a priority species identified in the Federal Government’s new 10-year Threatened Species Action Plan. The destruction of their habitat for a private company’s gain is unacceptable.
- The population of Eastern Curlews has declined by over 80% in the past 30 years, largely due to coastal development projects – similar to Walker Corporation’s proposal – across their range.
- This level of private development within a Ramsar site would have been unprecedented if it had been allowed to proceed. It would have literally paved the way for similar projects elsewhere within Moreton Bay, Australia and across the world.
We won! But this is just the start.
On 18 April 2024, Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek announced that Walker Corporation had withdrawn its proposed real estate project in the precious wetlands at Toondah Harbour.
The victory at Toondah Harbour is a testament to the power of our collective community action. After more than a decade of grassroots campaigning, the news of the withdrawal of the destructive real estate project was a huge relief for many Australians. It was the sustained pressure and opposition from everyday Australians – each one of you, led by a dedicated group of local nature lovers – that led to this triumph for nature and the community.
We are celebrating this win, but we are also aware that our work is not done. Australia’s nature laws are being rewritten as we speak, and if we don’t get the strong laws that nature needs to thrive, places like Toondah Harbour won’t be safe for long.
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Resources, Actions & Facts
Migratory Shorebirds
Australia's migratory shorebirds are incredible, many flying to and from the Northern Hemisphere every year. But sadly, because of the destruction of their habitats, hunting, and disturbance, their numbers have declined greatly.
Find out more