Birds in Backyards

Winner of the 2008 Alan Strom Eureka Prize for Environmental Education, the Birds in Backyards Program is a research, education and conservation program that is designed to address the loss of wild bird species, particularly small bird species, that live where people live. From large cities to small townships, backyards, gardens, parks and streetscapes to schoolyards or domestic and utility areas on farms or industrial estates, Birds in Backyards, with the help of local communities, undertakes scientific research and disseminates the results directly back into the communities that need to know, providing accurate information and community education opportunities.

The program has three main objectives:

Research: To find out what influences bird diversity in gardens and yards, urban bush lands, parks and public areas
Education: To develop and increase community understanding and involvement with the current status of birds; to encourage a 'hands on' culture of planting for birds and of monitoring their presence and absence; to help people to learn how to love and live with birds
Conservation: By putting into practice the information learnt from research, open spaces in places where people live, will also become suitable for birds to inhabit. This should contribute to a greater diversity of birds living in these places.