CSIRO LAND AND WATER Cape York cassowaries: traditional owners recording populations and addressing threats to habitat Matt Bradford1, Naomi Hobson3, Eldine Creek3, Tim Jaffer3, Justin Perry2, David Westcott1 1CSIRO Land and Water, Atherton, QLD 2CSIRO Land and Water, Townsville, QLD 3Kalan Enterprises, Coen, Cape York, QLD 24th August 2018 Project report to the Australian Department of Environment and Energy (TSRF–EC‐03) 2 | Bradford et al. Cape York cassowaries Citation Bradford M, Hobson N, Creek E, Jaffer T, Perry J and Westcott D (2018) Cape York cassowaries: traditional owners recording populations and addressing threats to habitat. Project report to the Australian Department of Environment and Energy. CSIRO, Australia. Copyright © Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation 2018. 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CSIRO is committed to providing web accessible content wherever possible. If you are having difficulties with accessing this document please contact [email protected]. Bradford et al. Cape York cassowaries | 3 Contents List of figures ............................................................................................................................... 5 List of tables ............................................................................................................................... 5 Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... 5 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 6 2 Methodology ....................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.1 The southern cassowary and study site ................................................................ 8 2.3 Field surveys .......................................................................................................... 9 2.4 Habitat use and preference ................................................................................. 10 2.5 Resource availability ............................................................................................ 10 3 Results ............................................................................................................................. 12 3.1 Field surveys ........................................................................................................ 12 3.2 Habitat use and preference ................................................................................. 12 3.3 Resource availabilty ............................................................................................. 14 3.4 Threats ................................................................................................................. 15 4 Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 16 4.1 Cassowary distribution and population health ................................................... 16 4.2 Habitat preference .............................................................................................. 16 4.3 Threats ................................................................................................................. 17 4.4 Implications ......................................................................................................... 17 Appendix A Broad habitat type descriptions .......................................................................... 19 References ........................................................................................................................... 244 4 | Bradford et al. Cape York cassowaries Figures Figure 1 The McIlwraith Range showing land tenure. .................................................................... 7 Figure 2 The ten search areas on the McIlwraith Range showing the survey tracks. .................... 9 Figure 3 The probability of cassowary presence in each broad habitat type based on numbers of signs encountered and length of track walked in each habitat type……………………………………………13 Figure 4a The relationship between the fleshy fruit richness and the number of recent cassowary signs (r2 = 0.34, P = 0.10). ............................................................................................ 14 Figure 4b The relationship between fleshy fruit abundance and the number of recent cassowary signs (r2 = 0.44, P = 0.05). .............................................................................................................. 15 Apx Figure A.1 An example of woodland habitat ......................................................................... 19 Apx Figure A.2 An example of vine thicket habitat...................... Error! Bookmark not defined.20 Apx Figure A.3 An example of gallery rainforest habitat ............. Error! Bookmark not defined.21 Apx Figure A.4 An example of moist rainforest habitat ............................................................... 22 Apx Figure A.5 An example of wet rainforest habitat ................. Error! Bookmark not defined.23 Tables Table 1 The 10 areas surveyed for cassowary sign ....................................................................... 10 Table 2 The number of cassowary signs encountered in the 10 search areas ............................. 12 Table 3 Fleshy fruit richness and abundance in each survey area ................. Error! Bookmark not defined.14 Acknowledgments This study was undertaken on land belonging to the Kaantju and Lama Lama people. A large number of Kalan rangers and members of the Coen community conducted the surveys: Dylan Creek, Terry Creek, Sebastian Creek, Louican Creek, Dallas Harold, Walter Peter, Isaac Rokeby, Francis Creek, Puchaanu Creek, Anita Platt. Thanks to Allan Creek Snr., James Creek and Jenny Creek for guidance on country. We thank Brian Ross for logistical support. The study was carried out for the Department of Environment and Energy with funding from the Threatened Species Recovery Fund. Bradford et al. Cape York cassowaries | 5 1 Introduction Areas of continuous rainforest on Cape York Peninsula large enough to support cassowary populations are limited to the Iron and McIlwraith Ranges, Jardine River National Park near Heathlands, and north of Bamaga on the far northern peninsula. These areas are of small extent relative to suitable habitat in Papua New Guinea to the north and the Wet Tropics bioregion to the south and are highly naturally fragmented. Moreover, Cape York has a seasonal climate which results in a distinctive flora and an annual resource bottleneck. For resident cassowaries this is likely to result in a unique diet, habitat use and population density. This study focuses on the cassowary population on the McIlwraith Range of eastern central Cape York. The McIlwraith Range is included in the KULLA Land Trust and forms part of traditional lands of the Kaantju, Umpila, Lama Lama and Ayapathu people (figure 1). Traditional Owners are aware of a significant population of cassowaries on the Range and have a connection to the bird as a totem animal represented in stories and art. Little is known about current Cape York cassowary populations and threats to their survival. This study aims to build capacity amongst Traditional Owner groups of the McIlwraith Range to document cassowary populations on their country by developing a scientifically based survey methodology leading to cassowary knowledge being explicitly considered in land management programs. The study specifically aims to a) provide an overview of cassowary population health, b) determine the current distribution and identify key habitat types, and c) identify current and future threats. This is achieved through the marriage of traditional owner knowledge and resources, and the latest scientific methodology and technology. The study addresses a number of Cassowary Recovery Plan actions (Latch 2007), specifically (1.2) Identify and prioritise areas of essential habitat for protection and management, (3.3) Assess potential impacts of pigs on cassowaries, (3.4) Support existing planning and management strategies that target pests and weeds in cassowary habitat, (5.2) Establish and implement a monitoring protocol in key habitat areas, (5.3) Assess the size of Wet Tropics and Cape York populations and develop population viability models, (7.3) Ensure aboriginal communities participate in all aspects of the recovery process, (7.4) Document traditional cultural knowledge of cassowaries.