The Urban Bush Telegraph Winter 2016
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Winter 2016 Newsletter of the Urban Bushland Council WA Inc PO Box 326, West Perth WA 6872 Email: [email protected] A crossroads for Carnaby’s cockatoo, a flagship species on the brink Few images more poignantly as clearing continues on the syndrome specific to Carna- symbolise the plight of Perth’s Swan Coastal Plain which forc- by’s cockatoos has been dis- endangered bushland than that of es them to spend more time covered on the Swan Coastal a small flock of Carnaby’s cocka- traveling and expending pre- Plain, leaving affected birds toos wheeling through the sky, cious energy searching for ade- unable to walk or indeed to calling to one another as they quate food sources. survive if not for the chance thread their way between single Despite the grim statistics about rescue of a passer-by, and in- stands of trees, and over roads the Carnaby’s predicted future if tensive treatment by specialist and sprawling houses, seeking out current practices continue un- veterinarians. Vehicle strike is the remaining patches of vegeta- checked, the WA government also a major threat to black tion in which to feed and roost. has shown little commitment to cockatoos alongside an explo- The Carnaby’s cockatoo, with its turning things around for one of sion in the number of cars, graceful, loping flight and unfor- the State’s most recognised en- with at least a hundred Carna- gettable lilting call, miraculously demic birds. The Perth-Peel by’s cockatoos rescued from survived one of the most rapid region’s ‘Green Growth Plan’, the streets of Perth and its sur- land clearing events of the 20th which, if implemented in its rounds every year. Less than century, which led to the creation recently proposed state would half of these injured birds of Western Australia’s wheatbelt lead to the reduction of up to make it back out the wild. and the city of Perth, but also to 50% of the area’s Carnaby’s It is therefore critical that all 2 the loss of more than 80,000km cockatoo population, was de- remaining Carnaby’s feeding, of the cockatoo’s feeding and scribed by Environment Minis- roosting and breeding habitat breeding grounds. Previously ter Albert Jacob as “the absolute is protected, to enable the labelled a pest, in more recent best opportunity for this spe- years the Carnaby’s cockatoo has cies” but did little to cloak the cockatoos to maintain, and become well known and loved by government’s apparent inten- eventually increase their popu- the general public. Their social tions to drive development for- lation numbers to sufficiently life can be observed readily ward at the expense of wildlife robust levels that they can sur- among the backyards and local and the environment. Mean- Bush Telegraph Bush Telegraph vive the pressures of other bushlands of Perth, as bonded while, funding for state environ- threats and stochastic events pairs spend long moments preen- mental agencies and non-profit such as fire, disease and vehi- ing one another and flocks jostle organisations fighting to protect and play among the trees. black cockatoos has steadily cle strike, which can knock However, all signs point towards trickled down over recent dec- smaller fragmented popula- a looming crisis. Birdlife’s annu- ades resulting in these groups tions off the face of the earth. al Great Cocky Count shows a becoming severely hamstrung ‘Strength in numbers’ has nev- general decline in the numbers of and unable to effectively imple- er been a more important con- Carnaby’s cockatoos counted on ment species recovery plans. cept for the Carnaby’s cocka- the Swan Coastal Plain, and black Several years ago, a paddock too. cockatoo experts agree that these fire led to the loss of many Car- wondrous birds are in serious naby’s nesting hollows in one of Inside this issue: trouble, largely due to habitat loss the most important northern and fragmentation, but also due to wheatbelt breeding areas, high- Operation Rainbow Roost 3 Urban an increasing myriad of other lighting the instant impact fire alarming threats. Carnaby’s can have on a cockatoo popula- Viveash subdivision squabble 4 cockatoos have been found to tion, as well as the dependence feed from some 87 species of na- of the birds on the management tive and introduced vegetation, (again, poorly funded) of breed- Group News 6 showing some tolerance to chang- ing sites on privately held land. Fate of the Darling Range ing resource availability, but their Adding to their woes, in recent 9 habitat range continues to shrink years, a mysterious paralytic Regional Park The Editorial The Urban Bushland Council has long been deeply con- cerned about the decline in the Carnaby’s cockatoo pop- ulation and continues to advocate for the following ac- tions to be taken without further delay. Clearing of Perth’s Banksia woodlands, critical Carna- by’s cockatoo habitat, must cease and federal protection granted to the woodlands as a Threatened Ecological Community. The Banksia woodlands TEC nomination has been as- sessed and the proposed listing is currently with the fed- eral Minister for the Environment, due for a final deci- sion by the end of October 2016. A commitment must also be made by the State govern- ment to complete the Bush Forever plan, the best strate- gic plan we have for the conservation of Perth’s native vegetation and which the Urban Bushland Council con- siders ‘unfinished business’. All Bush Forever sites must be secured as A class reserves for the purpose of In October, the UBC will host a talk by Kate Brown from conservation with their management properly funded. the Department of Parks and Wildlife on findings of re- Concurrently, a significant revision of the first draft of search at Paganoni Swamp. The research investigated the Green Growth Plan is needed, to address its inade- changes in species richness and cover in native and intro- quacies in protecting Carnaby’s cockatoo habitat, and to duced flora following autumn prescribed fire in a 700- specify revegetation management of the northern pine hectare Banksia/Tuart (Eucalyptus gomphocephala) plantations in order to prevent a crash in cockatoo num- woodland that had not burnt for more than 30 years. bers. Effectiveness of management techniques at reducing Eight months out from the state election, we stand at a weed cover and the impacts of grazing by Western Grey critical crossroads in the history of the Carnaby’s cocka- Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) postfire were also in- too. It has never been more important for the future of vestigated. this iconic species that the next elected government com- mits fully to urban bushland protection and leads us to- The results show that autumn prescribed fire can facili- wards a brighter future for Perth’s black cockatoos. tate increases in weed cover that can be limited with spe- cific management techniques of targeted weeds postfire. AVAILABLE UBC PUBLICATIONS Postfire grazing was found to have significant adverse impacts on native species cover and vegetation structure, Perth’s Bush Forever Report Card but it also limited establishment of some serious weeds Proceedings of a conference (December 2012) including Pigface (Carpobrotus edulis). Manipulating Available through the UBC website: herbivores in time and space following prescribed fire http://www.bushlandperth.org.au/resources/publications could be an important and cost-effective way of main- Perth’s Banksia Woodlands - Precious and Under Threat taining biodiversity values. Proceedings of a symposium (2011) For time and venue of talks hosted by the UBC, see the Available from the UBC for $20 plus $3 postage. back page of the newsletter. In August, Kingsley Dixon Endangered Black Cockatoos in Western Australia from Curtin University will talk about WA’s biodiversity Proceedings of a symposium . hotspot and in November, Renata Zelinova will discuss Available through the UBC website: the issues of ecological connectivity in fragmented land- http://www.bushlandperth.org.au/resources/publications scapes. Burning Issues - proceedings of a workshop about fire management in urban bushland. (2002) Available from the UBC free. All welcome. By purchasing a $5 door entry raffle, you will have a chance to win great prizes such as a framed Building Partnerships between Community Groups and Local photo by Marg Owen or various books. Government for Our Bushland - proceedings of a seminar (2000) Available from the UBC free. Great gift idea N E W S L E T T E R I T E M S PERTH’S BUSHLAND BIRTHDAY & PERPETUAL Compiled by: Renata Zelinova CALENDAR PLEASE SEND CONTRIBUTIONS TO: [email protected] $10 plus $2 postage Copy deadline - 15 October 2016 Available by mail order from the UBC office. Page 2 THE URBAN BUSH TELEGRAPH Operation Rainbow Roost needs your help Rainbow Lorikeets maybe gorgeous birds but they are also a serious pest in Perth. Since the 1960s when 10 Rainbow Lorikeets were released in Perth, the population has increased to over 40,000 birds. Lorikeets now are present from Yanchep to Mandurah and to Chidlow, in the east. To work out the exact population and distribu- tion of this pest species, BirdLife Western Australia and the Department of Food and Agriculture Western Aus- tralia have launched Operation Rainbow Roost (http:// birdlife.org.au/projects/operation-rainbow-roost). This has been funded by the State Natural Resource Manage- ment Program. Mike Bamford, Chair of BirdLife Western Australia said that “Rainbow Lorikeets are a very aggressive species which are out-competing the local parrots”. He also said “the Red-capped Parrot is now almost extinct from a large part of the Perth Metropolitan Area, and it’s most likely that the introduction of Rainbow Lorikeets has been a significant contributor to this loss”.