DOCSLIB.ORG

Do Social Values Influence Levels of Conservation Effort in Threatened Species? the Case of Two Australian Chats

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Do Social Values Influence Levels of Conservation Effort in Threatened Species? the Case of Two Australian Chats Do social values influence levels of conservation effort in threatened species? The case of two Australian chats G ILLIAN B. AINSWORTH,HEATHER J. ASLIN M ICHAEL A. WESTON and S TEPHEN T. GARNETT Abstract This research aims to understand why one of two McCarthy et al., ). Most research on threatened birds almost identical subspecies of the Australian yellow chat and their conservation has been ecological, and tends not Ephthianura crocea has received significantly higher levels to consider the social processes and the prevailing values of local and institutional support than the other despite of human societies that affect threatened birds. Adopting both having the same conservation status and taxonomic dis- a biocultural perspective on extinction could have positive tinctiveness, factors commonly thought to influence conser- implications for conservation practice (Ladle & Jepson, vation effort. Using a qualitative multiple case study ). Understanding human values and how they influ- approach we explored how a range of social factors, including ence conservation of threatened birds is essential if conser- stakeholder attitudes and institutional, policy and operational vation success is to be realized. aspects, might have affected conservation efforts for the two Values, ‘enduring belief[s] that a specific mode of con- taxa. Our results suggest that the conservation trajectories of duct or end-state of existence is personally or socially pref- these two subspecies have diverged since their identification erable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or as threatened species in because of differences in the so- end-state of existence’ (Rokeach, ,p.), can be held at cial landscapes within which they persist. For one subspecies the level of individuals, groups, societies and cultures. local advocacy was kindled initially by the small number of Where values are shared across levels they are sometimes re- local endemic bird species but developed into a strong emo- ferred to as social values, ‘...sets of ideals and beliefs to tional engagement, resulting in increased local awareness, which people individually and collectively aspire and government funding, and effectiveness of conservation ac- which they desire to uphold’ (Jepson & Canney, ). tion. The other subspecies has had to compete for attention Such values are constructed, and what is regarded as the with approximately other threatened taxa occurring in its truth and as valuable may be thought of as no more than region. No individual advocate has accorded this subspecies a the currently accepted ways of understanding and appreci- high priority for action, and none of those responsible for its ating the world (Burr, ). Thus, shared knowledge, be- conservation have seen it or acknowledged an emotional at- liefs and values concerning wildlife are based on ‘a range tachment to it. Our findings confirm that initiation of conser- of assumptions about wildlife and expectations about na- vation effort is strongly tied to the social values of individuals ture’ (Hytten & Burns, ) that are specific to the social with power to take action, regardless of legislation. and cultural context in which they have been constructed. At an individual level, identity, knowledge and beliefs are Keywords Attitudes, birds, champions, conservation effort, constructed through complex processes of socialization and social construction, threatened species, values acculturation (Berger & Luckmann, ) that affect an in- dividual’s ability to conform to the expectations of the social groups to which they belong. Individuals who are involved Introduction in wildlife management are thus likely to hold a shared sub- set of the values of the society from which they are drawn. ver the last few decades substantial funding has been These may be overlain with, and sometimes in conflict with, Omade available for bird conservation, to try to reverse the values espoused by the organizations they represent. species decline and extinction trends (Garnett et al., ; Multiple stakeholders representing various sectors of society may participate in conservation strategies and may have varying importance in conservation networks GILLIAN B. AINSWORTH (Corresponding author), HEATHER J. ASLIN and STEPHEN T. GARNETT Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles (Jepson et al., ). Non-human factors, including species Darwin University, Northern Territory 0909, Australia or devices such as IUCN Red Lists, can also contribute sig- E-mail [email protected] nificantly (Jepson et al., ). MICHAEL A. WESTON School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Within Australia, national (Commonwealth), state and Science, Engineering and the Built Environment, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia territory governments have legislative responsibility for pro- Received January . Revision requested February . tection of the environment. Usually one department in each Accepted April . First published online September . jurisdiction has primary responsibility for the environment. Oryx, 2016, 50(4), 636–645 © 2015 Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605315000538 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.126, on 25 Sep 2021 at 00:52:05, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605315000538 Social values and conservation effort 637 Within such departments, responsibility for decisions about the task relative to need and the outcome of that funding. threatened species often falls to individual managers, some We ask how the values of key stakeholders involved with of whom may be experts in the field. For threatened wildlife, the conservation of two closely related threatened birds such experts are usually biologists and, partly as a result, the have affected their conservation management. This work, issues are typically framed in ecological terms rather than part of a growing body of social research on ‘what motivates being seen as social problems, although this is changing. people to engage in activities that harm or promote the con- Beyond government scientists, other stakeholder groups servation of biodiversity’ (Sandbrook et al., ), aims to involved in conserving threatened species include the pri- understand why one of the study subspecies has received vate sector, representing business and industry that may high levels of local and institutional support while the be affected by conservation efforts, and environmental other has had very little, despite both having similar conser- NGOs, which advocate for, or otherwise facilitate, conserva- vation status and taxonomic distinctiveness, factors com- tion effort. In Australia as in many other countries, birds are monly thought to influence conservation effort (Restani & often highly valued by society (Zander et al., ) and have Marzluff, ; Garnett et al., ). Understanding the unsolicited political power held for them in trust by interest values of people influential in making decisions and imple- groups (Czech et al., ) such as BirdLife Australia, which menting conservation measures for these threatened birds may in part advocate values that are shared by wider society. can help drive more effective conservation action in the fu- Directing and maintaining the public’s attention to threa- ture, as in other fields (Carlos et al., ). tened species typically falls to organizations such as BirdLife Australia. In each case the values of the individuals and organizations in these sectors are likely to influence out- Methods comes for threatened species conservation. Whereas the wider public, who may be expected either to This research drew predominantly from the discipline of finance a strategy via government spending or otherwise tol- social psychology, the theory of social constructionism erate the restrictions that are frequently associated with con- and the human dimensions of wildlife research. Using a servation interventions (Hunter & Rinner, ), are also qualitative multiple case study approach (Yin, )weex- stakeholders, individual members of the public who become plored how a range of social factors, including stakeholder involved in conservation are commonly associated with one attitudes and institutional, policy and operational of the stakeholder groups already mentioned. aspects may affect conservation efforts for threatened Decisions about setting funding priorities for threatened bird taxa. We focused on two Endangered subspecies of a species are generally made by experts, and conservation re- small (c. g) endemic Australian passerine: the Alligator search often focuses on threatened species listed in legisla- Rivers yellow chat Epthianura crocea tunneyi and the tion rather than on common or non-threatened species, and Capricorn yellow chat Epthianura crocea macgregori. on mammals and birds rather than plants and invertebrates This matched pair was selected because the taxa had con- (Seddon et al., ; Trimble & Van Aarde, ). Certain trasting societal support (e.g. funding, recovery plans, re- types of biodiversity tend to attract disproportionate covery actions, voluntary actions) despite being similar amounts of public attention, such as tigers Panthera tigris in biology and appearance, thus controlling for the influ- and elephants (Elephantidae spp.; Smith et al., ), or a ence of aesthetic or behavioural attributes of a taxon that species may develop a high public profile as a result of might have masked other social drivers of
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Disaggregation of Bird Families Listed on Cms Appendix Ii
    Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals 2nd Meeting of the Sessional Committee of the CMS Scientific Council (ScC-SC2) Bonn, Germany, 10 – 14 July 2017 UNEP/CMS/ScC-SC2/Inf.3 DISAGGREGATION OF BIRD FAMILIES LISTED ON CMS APPENDIX II (Prepared by the Appointed Councillors for Birds) Summary: The first meeting of the Sessional Committee of the Scientific Council identified the adoption of a new standard reference for avian taxonomy as an opportunity to disaggregate the higher-level taxa listed on Appendix II and to identify those that are considered to be migratory species and that have an unfavourable conservation status. The current paper presents an initial analysis of the higher-level disaggregation using the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World Volumes 1 and 2 taxonomy, and identifies the challenges in completing the analysis to identify all of the migratory species and the corresponding Range States. The document has been prepared by the COP Appointed Scientific Councilors for Birds. This is a supplementary paper to COP document UNEP/CMS/COP12/Doc.25.3 on Taxonomy and Nomenclature UNEP/CMS/ScC-Sc2/Inf.3 DISAGGREGATION OF BIRD FAMILIES LISTED ON CMS APPENDIX II 1. Through Resolution 11.19, the Conference of Parties adopted as the standard reference for bird taxonomy and nomenclature for Non-Passerine species the Handbook of the Birds of the World/BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World, Volume 1: Non-Passerines, by Josep del Hoyo and Nigel J. Collar (2014); 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Birdquest Australia (Western and Christmas
    Chestnut-backed Button-quail in the north was a bonus, showing brilliantly for a long time – unheard of for this family (Andy Jensen) WESTERN AUSTRALIA 5/10 – 27 SEPTEMBER 2017 LEADER: ANDY JENSEN ASSISTANT: STUART PICKERING ! ! 1 BirdQuest Tour Report: Western Australia (including Christmas Island) 2017 www.birdquest-tours.com Western Shrike-tit was one of the many highlights in the southwest (Andy Jensen) Western Australia, if it were a country, would be the 10th largest in the world! The BirdQuest Western Australia (including Christmas Island) 2017 tour offered an unrivalled opportunity to cover a large portion of this area, as well as the offshore territory of Christmas Island (located closer to Indonesia than mainland Australia). Western Australia is a highly diverse region with a range of habitats. It has been shaped by the isolation caused by the surrounding deserts. This isolation has resulted in a richly diverse fauna, with a high degree of endemism. A must visit for any birder. This tour covered a wide range of the habitats Western Australia has to offer as is possible in three weeks, including the temperate Karri and Wandoo woodlands and mallee of the southwest, the coastal heathlands of the southcoast, dry scrub and extensive uncleared woodlands of the goldfields, coastal plains and mangroves around Broome, and the red-earth savannah habitats and tropical woodland of the Kimberley. The climate varied dramatically Conditions ranged from minus 1c in the Sterling Ranges where we were scraping ice off the windscreen, to nearly 40c in the Kimberley, where it was dust needing to be removed from the windscreen! We were fortunate with the weather – aside from a few minutes of drizzle as we staked out one of the skulkers in the Sterling Ranges, it remained dry the whole time.
    [Show full text]
  • Checklist of the Birds of Western Australia R.E
    Checklist of the Birds of Western Australia R.E. Johnstone and J.C. Darnell Western Australian Museum, Perth, Western Australia 6000 April 2016 ____________________________________ The area covered by this Western Australian Checklist includes the seas and islands of the adjacent continental shelf, including Ashmore Reef. Refer to a separate Checklist for Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Criterion for inclusion of a species or subspecies on the list is, in most cases, supported by tangible evidence i.e. a museum specimen, an archived or published photograph or detailed description, video tape or sound recording. Amendments to the previous Checklist have been carried out with reference to both global and regional publications/checklists. The prime reference material for global coverage has been the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) World Bird List, The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, the Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World Volume, 1 (Lynx Edicions, Barcelona), A Checklist of the Birds of Britain, 8th edition, the Checklist of North American Birds and, for regional coverage, Zoological Catalogue of Australia volume 37.2 (Columbidae to Coraciidae), The Directory of Australian Birds, Passerines and the Working List of Australian Birds (Birdlife Australia). The advent of molecular investigation into avian taxonomy has required, and still requires, extensive and ongoing revision at all levels – family, generic and specific. This revision to the ‘Checklist of the Birds of Western Australia’ is a collation of the most recent information/research emanating from such studies, together with the inclusion of newly recorded species. As a result of the constant stream of publication of new research in many scientific journals, delays of its incorporation into the prime sources listed above, together with the fact that these are upgraded/re-issued at differing intervals and that their authors may hold varying opinions, these prime references, do on occasion differ.
    [Show full text]
  • Strengths and Vulnerabilities of Australian Networks for Conservation of Threatened Birds
    Strengths and vulnerabilities of Australian networks for conservation of threatened birds T IM Q. HOLMES,BRIAN W. HEAD,HUGH P. POSSINGHAM and S TEPHEN T. GARNETT Abstract We analysed the supportive social networks asso- making actors within an organizational framework trying ciated with the conservation of six threatened Australian to solve collective problems. The participants in an action bird taxa, in one of the first network analyses of threatened situation (Ostrom, ) for a threatened species may in- species conservation programmes. Each example showed clude those actively involved in the conservation of the contrasting vulnerabilities. The Alligator Rivers yellow bird or those with an interest in, or concern about, the chat Epthianura crocea tunneyi had the smallest social net- bird or a related issue. They may be individuals, or represen- work and no real action was supported. For the Capricorn tatives of NGOs, community groups, land owners, govern- yellow chat Epthianura crocea macgregori the network was ments or corporate actors, interacting for a range of reasons, centred on one knowledgeable and committed actor. The including obtaining or disseminating information, solving orange-bellied parrot Neophema chrysogaster had a strongly problems, negotiating, making decisions, collaborating connected recovery team but gaps in the overall network and seeking physical resources (Ostrom, ; Jepson could limit communication. The recovery teams for the et al., ). The key components of these action situations swift parrot Lathamus discolor and Baudin’s black-cockatoo include key participants, interorganizational collaborations Calyptorhynchus baudinii had strong links among most and social networks. Here, we focus on the social networks stakeholders but had weak ties to the timber industry and of key participants and seek to determine how such net- orchardists, respectively, limiting their capacity to manage works may influence the effective management of biodiver- threatening processes.
    [Show full text]
  • © the Authors 2019. All Rights Reserved
    © The Authors 2019. All rights reserved. www.publish.csiro.au Index Note: Bold page numbers refer to illustrations. abalones 348 tenella 77 Acanthaster 134, 365, 367, 393 tenuis 272 mauritiensis 134, 135 white syndrome 152 planci 134 Acroporidae 136, 274–5, 276 solaris 367 Acrozoanthus australiae 264, 265 cf. solaris 134, 135, 144, 165, 270, 275, 339, 345, 366 acrozooid polyps 287 sp. A nomen nudum 134 Actaeomorpha 337 Acanthaster outbreaks 134–5 scruposa 335 causes 134–5, 144–6, 163–4, 165, 367 Acteonidae 349 management 135 Actinaria 257, 259–63 see also crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) outbreaks anatomical features 258 Acanthasteridae 367 cnidae types in 260 Acanthastrea echinata 279 Actiniidae 263 Acanthella cavernosa 236, 238 Actinocyclidae 349 Acanthochitonidae 349 Actinodendron glomeratum 261 Acanthogorgia 302, 306 Actinopyga 369, 370 sp. 302 echinites 372 Acanthogorgiidae 302 miliaris 372 Acanthopargus spp. 126 sp. 372 Acanthopleura gemmata 107, 110 Aegiceras corniculatum 221, 222, 223 Acanthuridae 390, 396 Aegiridae 349 Acanthurus aeolid nudibranchs 346, 347, 349 blochii 396 Aeolidiidae 349 lineatus 395, 396 Aequorea 202 mata 393 Afrocucumis africana 368, 370 olivaceus 395 Agariciidae 275, 276 Acartia sp. 192 Agelas axifera 236, 238 accessory pigments 89 aggressive mimicry 401 Acetes 333 Agjajidae 349 sp. 192 agricultural activities, sediments and nutrients from 161–5 Achelata 333, 334–6 Ailsastra sp. 368 acorn barnacles 328 Aiptasia pulchella 260 acorn dog whelk 346, 347 Aipysurus 415, 416 Acropora 31, 33, 59, 135, 136, 150, 184, 211, 272, 273, 274–5, 339 duboisii 412, 413, 415 brown band disease 152 laevis 412, 413, 415, 416 clathrata 79 mosaicus 415 echinata 276 Alcyonacea 67, 283, 290–309 global diversity 186 Alcyonidium sp.
    [Show full text]
  • Birds of the Kimberley Division, Western Australia
    WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM SPECIAL PUBLICATION No.ll Birds of the Kimberley Division, Western Australia by G.M. Slorr Perth 1980 World List Abbreviation: Spec. PubIs West. Aust. Mus. ISBN 0724481389 ISSN 0083 873X Cover: A Comb-crested Jacana drawn by Gaye Roberts. Published by the Western Australian Museum, Francis Street, Perth 6000, Western Australia. Phone 328 4411. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Introduction 7 List of Birds .................................... .. 9 Gazetteer ................................. .. 101 Index 105 5 INTRODUCTION Serventy and Whittell's excellent Birds of Western Australia (first published in 1948) excluded the many species found in Western Australia only in the Kimberley Division. The far north of the State thus remained the last terra incognita in Australia. The present paper fills this gap by providing informa­ tion on the distribution, ecological status, relative abundance, habitat preferences, movements and breeding season of Kimberley birds. Coverage is much the same as in my List of Northern Territory birds (1967, Spec. PubIs West. Aust. Mus. no. 4), List of Queensland birds (1973, Spec. PubIs West. Aust. Mus. no. 5) and Birds of the Northern Territory (1977, Spec. PubIs West. Aust. Mus. no. 7). An innovation is data on clutch size. The area covered by this paper is the Kimberley Land Division (Le. that part of Western Australia north of lat. 19°30'S) and the seas and islands of the adjacent continental shelf, including specks of land, such as Ashmore Reef, that are administered by the Commonwealth of Australia. Distribution is often given in climatic as well as geographic terms by referring to the subhumid zone (mean annual rainfall 100-150 cm), semiarid zone (50-100 cm) or arid zone (less than 50 cm).
    [Show full text]
  • Western Australia Bird List
    Western Australia Bird List EMU 063 Wilson's Storm-Petrel 187 Eastern Great Egret 143 Red-capped Plover 001 Emu 065 White-faced Storm-Petrel 186 Intermediate Egret 140 Double-banded Plover 066 Black-bellied Storm-Petrel 184 Great-billed Heron 139 Lesser Sand Plover MOUND BUILDERS 977 Cattle Egret 141 Greater Sand Plover 007 Malleefowl ALBATROSS 193 Striated Heron 142 Oriental Plover 006 Orange-footed Scrubfowl 086 Wandering Albatross 9945 Chinese Pond Heron 145 Inland Dotterel 974 Royal Albatross 190 Pied Heron 144 Black-fronted Dotterel QUAILS, PHEASANTS etc 088 Black-browed Albatross 188 White-faced Heron 138 Hooded Plover I 9939 Helmeted Guineafowl 091 Shy Albatross 185 Little Egret 132 Red-kneed Dotterel 009 Stubble Quail 090 Grey-headed Albatross 191 Eastern Reef Egret 135 Banded Lapwing 011 Brown Quail 089 Yellow-nosed Albatross 796 Black-crowned Night Heron 133 Masked Lapwing 012 King Quail 092 Sooty Albatross 192 Nankeen Night-Heron I 093 Light-mantled Sooty Albatross 178 Glossy Ibis 171 Comb-crested Jacana 903 Indian Peafowl 950 Common Pheasant I 179 Australian White Ibis 897 Pheasant-tailed Jacana PETRELS, PRIONS, SHEARWATERS 180 Straw-necked Ibis 929 Southern Giant-Petrel 181 Royal Spoonbill 170 Australian Painted Snipe WATERFOWL 199 Magpie Goose 937 Northern Giant-Petrel 182 Yellow-billed Spoonbill 168 Latham's Snipe 205 Plumed Whistling-Duck 074 Southern Fulmar 852 Pin-tailed Snipe 204 Wandering Whistling-Duck 949 Antarctic Petrel RAPTORS 169 Swinhoe's Snipe 217 Musk Duck 080 Cape Petrel 241 Eastern Osprey 152 Black-tailed
    [Show full text]
  • Breeding Ecology of a Marine Plain Dependent Passerine, the Capricorn Yellow Chat Epthianura Crocea Macgregori, in North-Eastern Australia
    Australian Field Ornithology 2020, 37, 15–25 http://dx.doi.org/10.20938/afo37015025 Breeding ecology of a marine plain dependent passerine, the Capricorn Yellow Chat Epthianura crocea macgregori, in north-eastern Australia Wayne A. Houston1*, Robert L. Black1, Rod J. Elder1 and Damon Shearer2 1Central Queensland University, School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Bruce Highway, Rockhampton QLD 4702, Australia 2Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service, Department of Environment and Science, P.O. Box 5065, Gladstone QLD 4680, Australia *Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] Abstract. The habitat and timing of breeding of the Critically Endangered Capricorn Yellow Chat Epthianura crocea macgregori were studied over 12 years on the central Queensland coast. The labile breeding season, although summer–autumn dominant, corresponded to the wetter months and inundation of breeding habitat, allowing this bird to breed in any season or month following substantial rainfall, and more than once in a year in response to atypical rainfall events in the drier months. Formation of flocks showed a seasonal pattern, with flock size significantly greater during the post-wet period than during the wet or dry season. Breeding birds were in pairs or family groups, and dry-season flocks were small as the birds dispersed widely across the available dry habitat. The relatively large flocks (20–80) at some sites in the post-wet period (typically 4–5 months after breeding commenced) are postulated to coincide with maturation of young birds. Breeding was observed in grass–sedge swamps on marine plains and supratidal saltmarshes with vegetation taller than 40 cm. Nests were placed low (27 cm ± standard error 7 cm above the ground) in clumps of vegetation that averaged 69 ± 8 cm high, and the height of vegetation supporting dependent young averaged 108 ± 7 cm.
    [Show full text]
  • Birds of the Broome Region Official Checklist Updated December 2020
    Birds of the Broome Region Official Checklist Updated December 2020 Broome Bird Observatory Crab Creek Rd, Broome Phone: (08) 9193 5600 E-mail: [email protected] EMUS AND CASSOWARIES FROGMOUTHS NORTHERN STORM-PETRELS Ψ Emu Tawny Frogmouth Matsudaira’s Storm-Petrel QUAIL NIGHTJARS Swinhoe’s Storm-Petrel Stubble Quail Spotted Nightjar PETRELS AND SHEARWATERS Brown Quail OWLET-NIGHTJARS Ψ Northern Giant Petrel MAGPIE GOOSE Australian Owlet-nightjar Ψ Cape Petrel Magpie Goose SWIFTS Wedge-tailed Shearwater DUCKS, GEESE AND SWANS Ψ White-throated Needletail Ψ Short-tailed Shearwater Plumed Whistling-Duck Ψ Glossy Swiftlet Streaked Shearwater Wandering Whistling-Duck Fork-tailed Swift Hutton’s Shearwater Pink-eared Duck Ψ House Swift STORKS Freckled Duck CUCKOOS Black-necked Stork Black Swan Pheasant Coucal IBISES AND SPOONBILLS Ψ Radjah Shelduck Eastern Koel Yellow-billed Spoonbill Ψ Australian Shelduck Channel-billed Cuckoo Royal Spoonbill Green Pygmy-goose Horsfield’s Bronze-Cuckoo Straw-necked Ibis Australian Wood Duck Black-eared Cuckoo Australian White Ibis Hardhead Shining Bronze-Cuckoo Glossy Ibis Garganey Little Bronze-Cuckoo HERONS, EGRETS AND BITTERNS Ψ Australasian Shoveler Brush Cuckoo Australian Little Bittern Pacific Black Duck Pallid Cuckoo Ψ Yellow Bittern Grey Teal Oriental Cuckoo Ψ Black Bittern Ψ Chestnut Teal CRAKES, RAILS AND SWAMPHENS Nankeen Night-Heron GREBES Ψ Red-legged Crake Striated Heron Australasian Grebe Buff-banded Rail Ψ Chinese Pond Heron Hoary-headed Grebe Australian Spotted Crake Cattle Egret Great
    [Show full text]
  • Status of the Endangered Yellow Chat Epthianura Crocea Tunneyi on the Western South Alligator River Floodplain, Kakadu National Park
    Australian Field Ornithology 2016, 33, 169–177 http://dx.doi.org/10.20938/afo33169177 Status of the Endangered Yellow Chat Epthianura crocea tunneyi on the western South Alligator River floodplain, Kakadu National Park Peter M. Kyne1* and Micha V. Jackson2 1Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin NT 0909, Australia 2North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance Limited, Darwin NT 0909, Australia (Present address: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia) *Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] Abstract. The current status of the Endangered Yellow Chat Alligator Rivers subspecies Epthianura crocea tunneyi is poorly known. A survey of Kakadu National Park floodplains, Northern Territory, in 2004 identified the western floodplain of the South Alligator River as a key population area. To provide preliminary information on the status of the subspecies in Kakadu National Park, this floodplain was intensively surveyed over a 4-day period in September 2014 and compared with the 2004 survey, which was undertaken at a similar time of year (late dry season: October–November). Despite covering considerable areas of floodplain habitat over nearly 40 hours of surveying, Yellow Chats were recorded in only one area in 2014; 27 Yellow Chats from nine observations were recorded over 2 days, with a minimum number of 17 individual birds (16 adult and 1 juvenile) observed. This compared with a total of 65 Yellow Chats from 2 days of surveying in 2004, clustered around five areas of the western floodplain of the South Alligator River. Habitat in 2014 comprised predominantly dry floodplain lagoon, consistent with previous surveys.
    [Show full text]
  • Epthianura Crocea Tunneyi (Yellow Chat (Alligator Rivers))
    Advice to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee on Amendments to the list of Threatened Species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) 1. Scientific name, common name (where appropriate), major taxon group Epthianura crocea tunneyi (Yellow Chat (Alligator Rivers)). 2. Description The Yellow Chat (Alligator Rivers) is a small member of the Honeyeater family, growing to approximately 11 cm. The male is a strikingly coloured bird with a bright yellow head and underbody and a distinctive black chest band. Females are pale lemon yellow, and have no chest band. The Yellow Chat (Alligator Rivers) is mainly insectivorous and typically forages on the ground, on alluvial grassy floodplains. 3. National Context The Yellow Chat (Alligator Rivers) is endemic to the Northern Territory and is restricted to a small geographic area encompassing the floodplains from the Adelaide River to the East Alligator River, between Oenpelli and Darwin. The Yellow Chat (Alligator Rivers) has been reported from Kakadu National Park and the Mary River National Park. The species is currently listed as endangered under the Northern Territory Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2000. 4. How judged by the Committee in relation to the EPBC Act criteria. The Committee judges the species to be eligible for listing as endangered under the EPBC Act. The justification against the criteria is as follows: Criterion 1 – It has undergone, is suspected to have undergone or is likely to undergo in the immediate future a very severe, severe or substantial reduction in numbers. The Yellow Chat (Alligator Rivers) is known to occur in a range of river catchments in the Northern Territory, including the floodplains of the East and South Alligator, Wildman, Mary and Adelaide Rivers (Armstrong 2004).
    [Show full text]
  • Hqwudo 4Xhhqvodqg ,Qirupdwlrq 3Dshu
    &HQWUDO4XHHQVODQG ,QIRUPDWLRQ 3DSHU &HQWUDO 4XHHQVODQG LQIRUPDWLRQ SDSHU WR VXSSRUW UHJLRQDO QDWXUDO UHVRXUFH PDQDJHPHQW SODQQLQJ 9ROXPH $SSHQGLFHV DQG UHIHUHQFHV ÃÃÃÃÃÃ0HLHUVÃ5RDGÃ,QGRRURRSLOO\Ã ÃÃÃÃÃ3KRQHÃÃÃÃZZZFRDVWDOFUFRUJDX &4Ã,QIRUPDWLRQÃ3DWHUÃ © Cooperative Research Centre for Coastal Zone Estuary and Waterway Management 2003 Published by the Cooperative Research Centre for Coastal Zone Estuary and Waterway Management Indooroopilly Sciences Centre 80 Meiers Road Indooroopilly Qld 4068 Australia www.coastal.crc.org.au The text of this information may be copied and distributed for research and educational purposes with proper acknowledgement. While every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of this publication, the Cooperative Research Centre for Coastal Zone Estuary and Waterway Management disclaims all responsibility and all liability (including without limitation, liability in negligence) and costs which might incur as a result of the materials in this publication being innaccurate or incomplete in any way and for any reason. ISBN: 0 9578678 4 0 QNRM03151 List of Appendices Appendix A2.1 NRM Plans Appendix ................................................................1 Appendix A4.1 Fitzroy River annual flood peaks..............................................36 Appendix A5.4.1 Terrestrial biodiversity .............................................................37 Appendix A5.4.2 Plants and animals of conservation significance in the CQ Region................................................................................50
    [Show full text]