5th Australasian Ornithological Conference 2009 Armidale, NSW Birds and People Symposium Plenary Talk The Value of Volunteers: the experience of the British Trust for Ornithology Jeremy J. D. Greenwood, Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, The Observatory, Buchanan Gardens, University of St Andrews, Fife KY16 9LZ, Scotland, [email protected] The BTO is an independent voluntary body that conducts research in field ornithology, using a partnership between amateurs and professionals, the former making up the overwhelming majority of its c13,500 members. The Trust undertakes the majority of the bird census work in Britain and it runs the national banding and the nest records schemes. The resultant data are used in a program of monitoring Britain's birds and for demographic analyses. It runs special programs on the birds of wetlands and of gardens and has undertaken a series of distribution atlases and many projects on particular topics. While independent of conservation bodies, both voluntary and statutory, much of its work involves the provision of scientific evidence and advice on priority issues in bird conservation. Particular recent foci have been climate change, farmland birds (most of which have declined) and woodland birds (many declining); work on species that winter in Africa (many also declining) is now under way. In my talk I shall describe not only the science undertaken by the Trust but also how the fruitful collaboration of amateurs and professionals works, based on their complementary roles in a true partnership, with the members being the "owners" of the Trust and the staff being responsible for managing the work. 16 5th Australasian Ornithological Conference 2009 Shorebirds 2020: Improving shorebird population monitoring in Australia and growing indications of shorebird population declines. Rob Clemens, Jo Oldland, and Angie Haslem, Birds Australia, Suite 2-05, Green Building, 60 Leicester St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053, [email protected] Shorebirds 2020 started in 2007 to reinvigorate the volunteer-led national Population Monitoring Program started by the Australasian Wader Studies Group in 1981. The program is designed to collect robust data on shorebird population trends and variables related to changes in shorebird abundance, to inform shorebird conservation and management. A power analysis conducted in 2008 to determine the sampling requirements to detect Australian shorebird population trends investigated the relative effect of shorebird abundance (at sites), inter- annual count variation within sites, and the number of shorebird areas surveyed. This analysis revealed that the number of shorebird areas surveyed determined the power to detect national population trends. A trend of either a 50% change over 5 years, or 30% change over 10 years could be identified if a species was present in at least 35 independent sites, monitored annually. 150 sites were initially selected in order to monitor the trends of 38 species. Recent analysis based on 2008/09 summer data suggests that monitoring at 113 areas may yield sufficient statistical power (80%) to detect “national” trends of 25-52% change in five years for 19 species and 50-80% change for seven species in ten years. Program success will require more trained volunteers, and increasingly standardised counts; a range of resources have been developed to assist. A recent review suggested that 21 species are decreasing, 4 increasing, and 10 showing both increases and decreases at different sites. In particular, inland wetlands throughout southern Australia have seen some alarming declines in recent years (up to 80%). 5th Australasian Ornithological Conference 2009 17 Addressing the recreational fishing impacts upon Aquatic Birds- a proactive host community response Wendy Gillespie, Waterbird Rescue Queensland, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, [email protected], [email protected] An estimated 20-30% of Australians enjoy recreational fishing, with 80% of the catch attributed to the coastal environment (FRDC, 2009) Skilleter 2002 expressed that “while the rates of interaction with seabirds in Australia are considered low the high participation rates in recreational fishing appear to warrant quantifying these interactions and their impacts upon populations.” Seabirds account for about 5% of the aquatic birds treated by Waterbird Rescue Queensland with the majority being waterbirds. Terrestrial species are also impacted through entanglement and lining nests (WRQ, unpubl. data) In 1998 the systematic collection of impact data was commenced for the peak tourist destination of Noosa Queensland. An injury prevention campaign was an integral aspect of the operation. Eighty percent of all injuries were attributed to fishing interaction, increasing to 95% for pelicans. Over 90% of pelicans were successfully treated in the wild, with a mortality rate of 2%. A mortality rate greater than 50% would have been anticipated without treatment. There was no significant age injury correlation though more juveniles required treatment during 1999 due to breeding. White- faced heron injuries and mortality was of greater concern with lower limb entanglement and leg impact injuries. There was a significant increase in the number of severe cases in 2002 with a >250% increase in the number of herons needing treatment and 72% categorised as severe cases. As the majority of birds treated are not listed as threatened there is negligible regulatory, financial or advocacy support. Greater advocacy is needed in Australia. 18 5th Australasian Ornithological Conference 2009 Bird Hunting in Ujung Karawang Natural Preserve, Bekasi, West Java Surya Purnama, Biology Department, Science and Mathematics Faculty, State University of Yogyakarta, Jl. Colombo No. 1, Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and Kutilang Indonesia Foundation for Bird Conservation, Jl. Tegal Melati No. 64 A, Jongkang, Sleman, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. [email protected] Bird hunting is one potential cause of the decline of bird populations in Indonesia. However, besides providing a source of income for some people, it has also of cultural importance for a long time. The numbers of water birds being caught have been staggering. In 1979, an estimated one million birds were caught in the Indramayu area of Java alone, but this had declined to about 300.000 in 1984-5, 200,000 in 1987, and 150,000 in 1992. Bird hunting is also a major activity in Ujung Karawang Natural Preserve, Bekasi, West Java, though there has been no surveys of its impact and social and economic significance. Social analysis involves spending time with both the hunter and middle man/woman. We interviewed hunters in the Preserve from January 2007 to February 2009 to record their hunting methods. Our study showed approximately 612,000 birds were collected from 63 species. Many of the collected birds were migratory (28 species), with 22 resident species. Thirteen species are protected by law in Indonesian, and four species are included in the IUCN red list data book as Near Threatened. Bird hunting in this area is dominated by economical need, with both the hunter and middle man being poor people living in outlying areas. Birds are mostly captured and consumed by people in and around the Natural Preserve. 5th Australasian Ornithological Conference 2009 19 People, Birds and Culture: developments in the recognition and incorporation of Aboriginal bird knowledge in conservation & land management Bob Gosford, Yuendumu, via Alice Springs, Northern Territory, [email protected] Aboriginal knowledge of birds, their ecology, behaviour and habitats has historically been poorly recognised or accepted in Australia, particularly in relation to species conservation and land management. In recent years Aboriginal people and groups have become increasingly involved and engaged in conservation and land management, particularly on the vast tracts of land in arid Australia that they own and manage. I report on three recent developments in the recognition and application of Aboriginal bird knowledge that indicate a tentative paradigm shift in the attitudes of both western and Aboriginal conservation and land managers, and tourism operators, particularly in relation to the recording, inter-generational and inter-cultural transmission and application of Aboriginal knowledge. Firstly, I will examine the role of bird knowledge as a means of effecting inter-generational transmission of cultural knowledge in landscape-scale management projects. Next I will examine the process, methodology, expected outcomes and value of a book project on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander bird knowledge to be published in 2010 and finally I will briefly consider the potential for increased involvement of Aboriginal people in birding tourism. For the substantial potential benefits that could flow from an enhanced recognition of the value of applied Aboriginal bird knowledge to be realised there is a need for greater and closely focussed efforts to be made about how we identify, collect and apply that knowledge. I will discuss some elements of the challenges before us. 20 5th Australasian Ornithological Conference 2009 Engaging the School Community in Sustainability Concepts through Bird Monitoring: Findings from the Birds as Indicators Project Aimee Freimanis, Richard Major, and Holly Parsons, Birds Australia Discovery Centre, Sydney Olympic Park, NSW 2127, [email protected] Birds provide an excellent medium for engaging the school