The Swift is on track With their vibrant colors, cheerful calls continue. Documents obtained under to extinction at a faster and fast-flying athleticism, it’s hard not Tasmanian Freedom of Information laws to love the Swift Parrot. Yet the has a show that the Tasmanian Environment rate than almost any history of provoking animosity, with the Department (DPIPWE) sought specialist other Australian bird. parrot regularly finding itself at the centre expert advice regarding five proposed BirdLife ’s Head of of a conflict that has divided communities logging coupes within an identified ‘Swift Conservation, Samantha Vine, for decades: the management of Tasmanian Parrot Important Breeding Area’ in the . Southern Forests. The expert advice explains why. warned that logging in the coupes would The species became infamous in 2006 result in the loss of critical breeding when the Federal Court of Australia ruled habitat and interfere with the recovery of that forestry operations in ’s the species. Yet, despite the advice, the Wielangta area were likely “to have a Department approved logging in three of significant impact on the Swift Parrot by the five coupes for which information was reducing part of its prime nesting habitat, provided. being habitat used by it when suitable foraging conditions exist.” The documents reveal that the Tasmanian government is both aware of the risk posed Yet logging of Swift Parrot breeding habitat to Swift by ongoing logging of its continues apace under a deal between habitat, and that it will permit logging to the Tasmanian and Commonwealth occur irrespective of clear, strongly worded Governments, known as the Regional expert advice to the contrary. Agreement (RFA). Under the RFA legislation, any deals reached are exempted Since these revelations, more evidence from the protective provisions of the points to a systemic problem. Bruny Environment Protection Biodiversity and Island is a critical refuge for Swift Parrots. Conservation Act (EPBC) which are in Nevertheless, Swift Parrot breeding habitat place to protect . on the island is currently being logged. Logging is also proposed adjacent to the Although they spend their winters foraging beautiful Inala Private Reserve, which was across , NSW, the ACT and fortunately protected by a conservation , the less than 1,000 pairs of covenant as part of BirdLife Australia’s remaining Swift Parrots rely on Tasmania’s Woodland for Biodiversity Project. mature eucalypt forests to breed. As stated As well as being home to Swift Parrots, in the 2011 National Recovery Plan for the Inala provides habitat for Forty-spotted Swift Parrot, “the Pardalote, the Tasmanian subspecies of persistence of this Wedge-tailed Eagle, White-bellied Sea- species is mainly Eagle, white morph of the Grey Goshawk, threatened by loss and Masked Owl. Almost 100 species and alteration of birds have been recorded at Inala and of habitat the nature-based tourism venture directly from forestry employs seven Bruny Islanders and several activities…” local businesses to provide services such Recent as catering. Yet Forestry Tasmania has revelations that served notice of intent to clearfell the the Tasmanian neighbouring property (identified as Government Coupe SB016B) in October this year. In ignored the April, local businesses and landowners expert advice of called for immediate cessation of logging its own scientists coupes known to contain A swift and allowed Swift Parrot nests. Swift Parrot The logging of documented nesting sites breeding habitat raises uncomfortable questions about why to be logged shine Southern Forests SPIBA logging is still allowed in critical areas for Forest loss (Hanson et al. 2014) some light on Swift Parrots. Management tools like the Globmap_>5% blue gum or black gum how this threat Mature forest_>5% crown cover ‘Threatened Fauna Advisor’ and the exit is allowed to 22 AUSTRALIAN birdlife JUNE 2015 23 A swift exit

Previous page: The Critically ‘Swift Parrot Interim Habitat Planning But the risk of predation by Sugar Gliders are only a handful of small patches of Ongoing habitat loss will likely worsen Commonwealth environmental approval Endangered Swift Parrot. Photo by Guideline’ are already available and a great varies from place to place. The Swift flowering available, and the location and the situation, which makes it all the more powers to any state or territory under the Chris Tzaros start for managing the competing interests Parrot studies revealed that gliders are extent of flowering varies dramatically each imperative that logging of Swift Parrot proposed ‘one-stop-shop’ arrangements. Map: Forest loss in Tasmania’s Southern of logging and Swift Parrots. However, the more likely to raid nests in locations where year. breeding habitat on Bruny Island—which Because the Swift Parrot is a matter of Forests Swift Parrot Important Breeding Freedom of Information documents and is severe, compared to other is free from Sugar Gliders—immediately national environmental significance it Area (SPIBA) between 2000-2012 (red) In the context of predation, current logging of known breeding habitat places where mature forest is abundant. and permanently cease. belongs to all Australians—just like koalas alongside the remaining fragments of these results are particularly important. Swift Parrot breeding habitat (blue). on Bruny Island and in the Southern This link between deforestation and or the Great Barrier Reef—and a federal Flowering forests occupied by gliders We rely on our governments to look after Provided by Dejan Stojanovic Forests points to a systemic failure of predation on Swift Parrots points to subtler safeguard should always exist so that a State may pose a serious risk to birds looking our threatened species. Yet the situation in governance that could drive the species to effects of deforestation on Swift Parrot Government can’t permit extinction just Above: Swift Parrots following the pulses for a place to nest. We found that Swift Tasmania demonstrates a breach of faith of flowering eucalypts, which can vary extinction in the very near future. habitat quality. Their study indicates that because it is inconvenient for the profit line Parrots mostly breed on the Tasmanian with the public, who have trusted both the remarkably year to year. Photo by Chris even in forests left undamaged by direct of vested interests. As if this wasn’t bad enough… mainland where gliders occur, and offshore State and Commonwealth Governments to Tzaros logging, nearby deforestation increases islands only supported a minority of the protect this iconic species. Right: This Swift Parrot habitat tree the impact of Sugar Gliders on birds in (with potentially suitable nesting hollow The cutest assassin population in most years. remaining habitat. With deforestation in core breeding habitat Volunteers needed to survey for visible) stands within a coupe on Bruny Last year, scientists from the Australian Synthesis of this new research has revealed still happening today in Tasmania, BirdLife Swift Parrots in 2015 Island, earmarked for logging this year. National University (ANU) led by Photo by Tonia Cochrane Chasing the richest patch just how much trouble Swift Parrots are Australia’s Threatened Species Committee Professor Robert Heinsohn published their Each year since 1999 hundreds of Recent research has also demonstrated in. The predation rates are shockingly and Research and Conservation Opposite: Current logging of essential discovery of a new threat to Swift Parrots— dedicated volunteers survey for the how Swift Parrots follow pulses of food high, and the settlement patterns indicated Committee found that the species Swift Parrot habitat is threatening to Sugar Gliders. Introduced to Tasmania, now Critically Endangered Swift Parrot decimate populations of this vibrant availability (flowering eucalypts) as they that most of the population could be satisfied the criteria for listing as Critically and Regent Honeyeater. Both of these and small enough to enter the tree hollows bird. Photo by Chris Tzaros move across the landscape. Swift Parrots are at risk from gliders. Taken together, the Endangered under the EPBC Act. A species are highly nomadic and travel where Swift Parrots nest, the gliders are not known to appear locally when trees flower, new research pointed to a previously nomination to the Federal Government has the south-east of the continent in search only eating Swift Parrot eggs and nestlings, and then disappear again until flowering unrecognised crisis, prompting a review of been submitted. of food. The Swift Parrot and Regent but also adult females. next occurs. BirdLife Australia partnered the species' . Honeyeater survey weekends are on the Swift Parrots are one of only three third weekend in May and first weekend with ANU to undertake a research On the Tasmanian mainland, most Swift The results were dire. In a paper published migratory parrots on the planet. To lose in August each year. They provide critical program to confirm the link between tree Parrot nests are currently failing as a in Biological Conservation, Dr Stojanovic them due to a failure in governance long-term data on the movements, flowering and habitat use by Swift Parrots. consequence of Sugar Glider predation. and colleagues used the available data is simply unconscionable. For so long habitat use and population size of the To do this, we surveyed more than 1,000 Swift Parrot and Regent Honeyeater. If Dr Dejan Stojanovic and his colleagues at to model the best-case scenario (where as Forestry Tasmania continues to log sites each year (we have just collected our you cannot do a survey on those dates, ANU made this discovery using motion- the effect of habitat limitation, disease, known Swift Parrot breeding habitat it sixth year of data) and assessed where food we are happy for people to get out a detecting cameras, which were deployed at collisions with windows and other known contradicts the principles of sustainable was available, and where the parrots settled week either side of those weekends. Swift Parrot nests across Tasmania. Gliders sources of mortality were excluded). It forest management, and BirdLife Australia for the summer breeding season. Incidental sightings are always welcome, were found preying on Swift Parrots at indicated that the Swift Parrot population will continue to oppose their application as we maintain a database of sightings every mainland Tasmanian nesting location Our results drew a clear link between could decline by as much as 94 per cent for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for both species. discovered so far. And they don’t just eat eucalypt flowering and the distribution over only 16 years as a consequence of Certification. Swift Parrots—Sugar Gliders have been For more information about the Swift patterns of Swift Parrots. We also Sugar Glider predation. Parrot surveys and to get involved go to recorded killing and eating Orange-bellied The Regional Forestry Agreement that discovered that in most years, birds have www.birdlife.org.au/projects/woodland- Parrots (adult females and eggs), Blue- exempts Forestry Tasmania from our little choice about where they settle, What can be done? birds-for-biodiversity winged Parrots (adult females and eggs), national environmental law expires in 2017 and usually must nest in proximity to In recognition of the very high risk of Green Rosellas (eggs), Tree Martins (adult and BirdLife Australia will fight to ensure whichever flowering patches are available. extinction the parrot now faces, BirdLife females, eggs, nestlings), Striated Pardalotes that the Commonwealth can once again These results reinforce the need to Australia is calling for an immediate halt (adult females, eggs, nestlings) and closely intervene if the State continues to drive a maintain large areas of mature forest for to all logging of Swift Parrot breeding inspecting nests of recently fledged Forty- species down the path to extinction. We Swift Parrots, because in most years there habitat until we can be certain that enough spotted Pardalotes. also continue to oppose the handover of breeding habitat is protected. 24 AUSTRALIAN birdlife JUNE 2015 25