Safeguarding wetlands, habitat and urbanization across the East Australasian flyway

Abstract

As the world's population grows, the impact of human activities, human population growth, urban expansion and land-use change have seriously impacted natural ecosystems and have caused a series of water and biodiversity-related challenges across our land, city and seascapes. Floods now occur with increasing frequency worldwide and water pollution can be severe and as design and planning response, Australia and China have proposed water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) and sponge city design (SCD) respectively. Of particular concern, is the loss and degradation of wetland habitats. As biodiversity hotspots and essential ecosystem service providers, the loss of wetland function threatens the many species that depend on this habitat for their survival. The Far Eastern Curlew (Numenius madagascariensis) is a large wading bird highly dependent on wetlands that is Endangered’ (EN) according to the IUCN "Redlist" lP. This research investigates the potential of a forward-thinking design approach hybrid of WSUD, SCD that considers the retention and construction of wetlands in urban areas to maintain and/or restore habitat for this key species. Examining the plight of this one species offers the possibility to enlighten our understanding of planning and design synergies across lands and seas and across boundaries and politics, space and time. Through an approach of considering two end points in the annual cycle of this bird’s year – nesting sites at Podhi Island in China and Alfred Cove in Perth, Western Australia – a narrative of collaborative concern and potential design future response is articulated. The article summarizes the necessity of protecting these endangered birds through a brief literature review and then a research-by-design method that illustrates the feasibility to construct wetlands and habitat that not only address the growing water issue in the cities, but also can protect ecosystems and biodiversity to create a better home for both birds and people.