Each year, thousands of shorebirds migrate from their breeding grounds in Arctic Russia and Alaska to the coastlines around our ports. The birds feed during the summer months here in Australia before returning north to breed. Australia’s coastal habitats (tidal flats, sand bars, mangroves, beaches and lagoons) are critically important for maintaining healthy populations of migratory shorebirds. 

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Gladstone Ports Corporation's (GPC) Ecosystem Research and Monitoring Program (ERMP) involves research and monitoring activity to understand how migratory shorebirds are using this region. This allows Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC) to identify any impacts on its numbers or distribution arising from port development and to implement management activity to minimise any problems. Data on the shorebird population will be collected for 10 years to assess population trends, and the impact of changing habitats is being estimated through determination of the carrying capacity of Port Curtis and Port Alma.

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Click on the links below for more information on shorebirds and our environmental initiatives.​​