 Who is Responsible for Recovery?
The first question is really 'what is recovery'? In terms of threatened species conservation, recovery refers to the reversal of the declines of the species, with the ultimate aim of seeing the species removed from threatened species lists altogether. To do this it is important to know what steps are required, and this is where Action Statements and/or Recovery Plans are used. When a government develops a threatened species list, they are obliged under legislation to develop Action Statements and/or Recovery Plans (or equivalent) for each species. Recovery Plans collate all of the information known about a species (i.e. its habitat preferences, breeding requirement, diet, threats, etc) into one document, and then set out the steps involved in reversing the declines. A recovery plan usually has a life-span of around 5 years, and is fully costed and reviewed. For a number of threatened species the implementation of a recovery plan is overseen by a Recovery Team, a group of experts and relevant stakeholders who help to guide the management of the threatened species. Membership of a Recovery Team usually includes Federal and State Government representatives, members of zoological boards or institutions, expert university academics, community interest groups, non-government organisations such as Birds Australia (at the moment Birds Australia has staff or volunteers several Recovery Teams), and any project officers working on a particular species.
However, it's important to realise that not all listed threatened species have official Recovery Teams. But that's not to say things don't get done for these species - many informal recovery groups and/or community groups take on the task of saving threatened species where they can. One such example is our own Painted Snipe at TBN. In conjunction with the Australasian Wader Studies Group we have a dedicated group of volunteers who search for the species twice per year (as well as in between surveys), we maintain a database of sightings, and have been responsible for pushing for protection of the species and a review of it's taxonomic status.
Who Can Help Save our Threatened Birds?
Whilst the Recovery Team will oversee the implementation of a Recovery Plan, saving species from extinction is not something which can happen without the help of other people (and as mentioned above many threatened species don't even have Recovery Plans or Teams!). The following is a very simplified idea of ways other groups can help in the recovery of threatened species:
- Community - this is often one of the best methods for helping endangered species. 'Friends of…' and community groups are a great way for on-ground actions to be achieved, with locals in a region taking a stewardship-type approach to assisting threatened birds. These groups often coordinate revegetation programs, assist with weeding or pest animal control, and lobby local council and government effectively.
- Landholders - as conservation biology has progressed, it has become apparent that parks and reserves on their own are not going to be able to safely protect all of our threatened species - a large amount of conservation will need to occur on private land. Many landholders are now actively engaged in revegetation and rehabilitation works on their properties, often with the assistance of local community groups. This type of support is invaluable and certainly makes a difference in the fight for conservation.
- Government departments (local, state and Federal) - this is often where a large amount of funding and expertise comes from. Grants and assistance are provided through a number of different avenues from government (with the Australian Government's Natural Heritage Trust one of the best examples of this), and a number of programs are funded in this way.
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Conservation 
