A new online tool designed to support wildlife managers and biosecurity stakeholders in assessing and responding to the risk of H5 avian influenza (H5 bird flu) in Australia’s wild bird populations has been released.
Initiated by Wildlife Health Australia (WHA) and developed by Deakin University in collaboration with BirdLife Australia, the AviFluMap is the result of extensive cross-sector collaboration with funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The project is also the result of international collaboration, with key input from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany.
Built on a strong foundation of existing data and expert knowledge of wild bird ecology, AviFluMap integrates multiple layers of information to provide a clear, evidence-based picture of known and emerging H5 bird flu risks. The tool:
- Identifies and maps global sites where H5 bird flu outbreaks have recently occurred
- Maps the migratory routes of wild bird species that may carry H5 bird flu to Australia
- Pinpoints Australian locations where these birds are likely to arrive and where local wild bird populations reside—informing potential consequences of virus arrival and spread
- Models the susceptibility of Australian bird species to H5 bird flu infection and associated sickness and death.
“AviFluMap better equips us to understand and respond to the risks posed by H5 bird flu to Australia,” said Dr Simone Vitali, Program Manager at WHA.
“This tool enables us to share that knowledge in a practical way—supporting early detection, preparedness and response across the wildlife health and biosecurity sectors. The AviFluMap shows what’s possible when we bring the right people and knowledge together,” she said.
One of those people is Professor Marcel Klaassen from the Centre for Integrative Ecology at Deakin University, who led the technical build of AviFluMap.
He said assessing the H5 bird flu risk to Australia relies on the integration of many dynamic factors.
“Having all this data together in one portal allows stakeholders to get a better appreciation and clarity on the complexity of the problem, and assist them in continuously gauging and updating the H5 bird flu risk to Australia,” said Professor Klaassen.
Critical national and international data systems underpin AviFluMap’s functionality, including BirdLife Australia’s Birdata, the BirdMark project, and the World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS).
Chris Purnell, Manager Wetland and Migratory Shorebirds at BirdLife Australia, said the tool demonstrates how rigorous, long-term data collected by citizen scientists can be used to address biodiversity issues as well as the increasing intersection with human health and agriculture.
“Skilled volunteers are vital to understanding Australia's dynamic shorebird, waterbird and seabird populations, how they interact with the landscape and the threats they face,” said Mr Purnell.
“The ongoing dedication of volunteers is critical to conservation of our most threatened birds and provides a barometer to the wider health of ecosystems. Whether surveying their local patch or filling knowledge gaps in remote corners of the country we can't overstate the value of their contributions,” he said.
Dedicated data collection over decades by bird banding and bird monitoring volunteers and professionals, across Australia and elsewhere, was critical to this project. Together, these data sources offer a robust picture of bird movements, disease reports and ecological patterns relevant to avian influenza risks.
AviFluMap: a H5 Bird Flu Model Tool for Australia’s Wild Birds is accessible via the new online dashboard here: https://hpairisk.deakin.edu.au
The tool was shared with government biosecurity and environment representatives during its development, and the public version now available reflects their input and feedback.
WHA acknowledges and thanks Professor Marcel Klaassen and the teams at Deakin University, BirdLife Australia, and the Alfred Wegener Institute for their expert contributions to the project.