PAWS
Newsletter
for Parks and Wildlife Supporters
Issue 12 Spring 2006 - Text only version
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PAWS |
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| TALKING
PAWS Friends often ask me when my job of raising funds for the Foundation will be over. Surely there will soon be a time when the Foundation no longer needs the help of our loyal donors and supporters. Sadly, this is not the case. The 2006 “Red List” of globally threatened species contained over 600 species of threatened native Australian animals and plants. Over 600 little Australians who might no longer be able to call Australia – or anywhere – home. The recent Golden Paw Species Rescue Appeal talked about the cruel fate of the last Tasmanian Tiger. This appeal has so far raised more than $15,000 to stop more of our precious creatures meeting the same terrible end. Primary school kids across NSW and the ACT raised $8,000 through the Dymocks Golden Paw Award to buy a marine mammal rescue kit – a tremendous effort. It’s a time of unprecedented wealth and abundance in Australia. And now, more than ever, charities like the Foundation need the committed support of Australians like you to protect our values and Australian way of life forever. Thank you for your contribution to our cause. Andrew Mitchell |
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In this issue
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| Biodiversity
– Sustaining Our Future Suzanne Moore Biodiversity is about the variety of all living things that makes life on earth function as it does. This life does not only include plants and animals that we can see and touch, but also those organisms that humans do not often think about – viruses, fungi and micro-organisms. Biodiversity is what maintains the balance within our ecosystems, creating food, clean water and resources that we need to sustain our lives and the life of our planet. The Importance of Biodiversity Our world consists of many different ecosystems, with tropical regions being particularly rich in diverse life forms. In an ecosystem, each organism plays a vital role within the processes of that ecosystem to ensure its health and survival. Because ecosystems have complex processes, the loss of a key species can significantly alter the biological diversity of an ecosystem. This can result in the decline or extinction of plants, animals or other organisms that may be endemic to a particular region. We use biological resources to maintain our choice of lifestyle and standard of living. Modern medicines are created and developed from organisms that exist in various ecosystems, such as penicillin which is an anti-bacterial substance from the fungi Penicillium. Penicillin is one of the most widely used drugs in modern medicine today. The potential for undiscovered bioresources in medical research is enormous. Maintaining genetic biodiversity is also vital for food security. It is important to look after wild crops of grain species from the wheat family, so that when our hybridised agricultural crops are attacked and weakened by viruses or pests, then the ability to dip into our wild stocks to find genes that can be bred into commercialised crops improves the ability to withstand these attacks. In conserving biodiversity, we are conserving our natural and cultural history for future generations. From bushwalking to bird watching, we enjoy seeing and spending time amongst our native plants and wildlife. Yet as biodiversity changes, the abundance of our plants and wildlife decreases. Without conservation, the plants and animals that we take for granted today may not exist in the future. The
Problems Facing Biodiversity The demands of today’s lifestyles have a substantial impact on the natural environment and the ecosystems which it is comprised of. The impact of changes from agriculture, residential and industrial development to war and nuclear development all create long lasting changes within different ecosystems. Logging, pollution, the introduction of foreign plant and animal species and urban growth are some everyday realities of our lifestyle that create changes in ecosystems and their biological diversity. When ecosystems are impacted upon too frequently by human activity, such as urban development or road construction, these areas can reach a size that is too small to support viable populations. Extinction is then more likely to occur in these smaller ecosystems. Rich and diverse ecosystems are more resistant to environmental changes and recover more quickly than stressed ecosystems. On a global scale, the loss of species impacts on our capacity to restore damaged environments and discover future resources. So next time you take a walk through the bush, or even your backyard, take note of not only the birds and trees, but the diversity of the life that surrounds you. |
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Hazardous
Haulouts Roused from a lethargic siesta of sunbathing on the rocks of the Hippolytes in Tasmania, a group of fur seals slide off the rocks into the water to greet our boat. Trails of seal urea have created a perfect slippery dip for these seals that now dive under and around the boat and the skipper, Damian, drops a splash cam in the water for us to watch them. An acrid stench permeates the air signifying we are close to a very large colony of Australian and New Zealand Fur Seals. It’s their perfumed trademark, a smell only a seal could love. Clumsiness on land is countered by unrivalled gracefulness in the water and from the dry confines of a boat, we watched in awe at the perfection in which these seals swam through large macrocystis kelp forests, darted around the boat and play bit the camera. I couldn’t help feeling a touch envious of these graceful creatures who spent their lives playing with boats, chasing schools of redbait and lounging around on warm rocks in between. Sadly, this group and others around the coast of Australia have faced the wrath of human interaction. Fishermen, having blamed these seals for the theft of their catch, have taken fire on this group of Hippolytes seals in isolated incidences over the last decade. “It’s heartbreaking to see” explained Damian, who has watched individuals pore over the death of their little friends on the rocks as reckless fishermen have taken the law into their own hands and shot individuals. Just ten days before the time of writing, a group of forty Australian Fur Seals were shot on Kanowna Island off Wilsons Promontory by fishermen. A group of Deakin University students who had been conducting research on the seals witnessed this horrific act, reported it and the perpetrators were caught. If found guilty, on November 3 this year they may be fined up to $100,000 and face 12 months in prison depending on the number of animals killed. This year a record number of fur seals have ‘hauled out’ or sought resting places along the coast of New South Wales. Early morning walkers have encountered seals often in crowded coastal communities like Swansea near Newcastle. Resting seals may startle passers by as fur seals tend to camouflage well with rocks. Vagrant Antarctic species of seals including Leopard and Elephant seals will most likely choose a sandy spot to come ashore. Yet not all of these seals are in trouble, many are only seeking a place to relax. Finding a secluded place to lounge around undisturbed is becoming more and more difficult for seals as the population of ‘seachangers’ grows. Encounters between seals and humans are becoming more frequent. So what do you do if you see a seal? Firstly report it, whether it is dead or alive, to the National Parks and Wildlife Service or the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) who have a seal rescue plan in place and an army of volunteers trained to assist seals. Both organisations will ask you detailed questions to ascertain the seal’s location, species, wellbeing, and the distance the seal is from the water. ORRCA have a ‘seal sitter’ program established whereby volunteers will work to monitor a haulout seal and control the movement of people around that seal. Lulled into a false sense of security, people may approach a seal thinking that it’s cute, harmless or just like the ones they see in Seaworld. Reality dictates that seals can be aggressive and may bite causing infection. Reporting a dead seal is also vital as NPWS or ORRCA can deduce if any foul play has contributed to the death of the seal. Last weekend at sea off Wollongong, I saw a large New Zealand Fur Seal who proceeded to show off with his leatherjacket that he’d caught at the back of the boat. He floated on his back with the fish in his mouth and a ‘look at what I’ve caught, aren’t I clever?’ attitude before porpoising behind the boat as it moved around. If we can learn to make their world a safer place both on land at sea, then future generations will enjoy experiences with these clever clowns of the ocean hopefully as much as I have. Thanks to the 7,826 children who entered the 2006 Dymocks Golden Paw Award we can purchase marine mammal rescue equipment like this to safely capture and transport entangled, injured or ill seals to specialist vets at Taronga Zoo. The new equipment will be located in the Central Coast/Lower Hunter region of NSW. Special signage about seals, whales and turtles will inform curious spectators at rescues. |
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How are things on Lord Howe? Placostylus Babies Born Ian Hutton on Lord How Island reports that 6 baby placostyles are sliding around in the Foundation-funded captive breeding enclosure at the Lord Howe Island Central School. The school children are waiting expectantly for the remaining eggs to hatch, proving that they will be ready to release their snails to the wilds once the rodent eradication is complete. Currawongs Rarer
than Hens! The Foundation study of the unique Lord Howe Island Pied Currawong is complete, estimating the total population at a little over 200 birds in the whole world, less than the Lord Howe Island Woodhen at around 240 individuals. The breeding population comprises 80-100 pairs with a nesting territory in the tall forest areas of about 5 hectares per pair. As with the woodhen, the amount of available habitat is the limiting factor along with the lack of food during winter. The currawongs are the top predator in the Lord Howe food chain, preying on all terrestrial bird species from woodhens to whistlers, some seabirds including white terns, invertebrates including the endangered Lord Howe Island Placostylus and introduced rodents and skinks. The study shows that the currawongs will be at risk from secondary poisoning when the rat eradication program commences. White Terns Secure Researcher Nick Carlisle also checked up on the island’s population of White Terns, knowing the Island residents dislike the currawongs because they kill other birds. 325 pairs of terns were counted during the currawong study which was a marked increase on the 100 birds estimated by Ian Hutton in 1981. There are over 200,000 White Terns worldwide with the “Lord Howe birds” ashore during their only landfall between September and May when they nest on the limbs of tall trees. Their breeding success rate of 27% compares favourably with the three other major breeding areas of Christmas Island (10%), Ascension Island (30%) and Hawaii (98%). So Nick’s conclusion was that whilst the White Terns are preyed upon by currawongs they are able to withstand the predation pressure and the species is secure on Lord Howe Island. Driving Rat Eradication
– A new Draft Biodiversity Management Plan for Lord Howe Island will drive future conservation efforts on the island for the next 10 years. The plan reinforces the Foundation-funded study to recommend total rodent eradication. The Commonwealth Government is providing $150,000 over the next year to fast track the eradication program. Successful rodent eradication will protect many endemic plant and animal species and allow the reintroduction of the Lord Howe Island Phasmid, the White-bellied Storm Petrel, the Kermadec Petrel and the Red-crowned Parakeet (from Norfolk Island). Other recommended activities are • Protection
of seabird breeding grounds by fencing out stock The plan will shortly be placed on public exhibition for public comment. |
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Over
the past three decades the Foundation has acquired more than 350,000 hectares
of land. For this issue, Keith Muir reports from a trip to Sturt National Park. The Foundation acquired 187,899 hectares (Mount King Station) as the core of the park; more than half of the total park area. Sturt
National Park – NSW’s wildest corner Sturt National Park is a large, diverse arid land park, over 300 kilometers north of Broken Hill by a good quality dirt road. Other remote outback parks are more frequently visited, such as those of the Kimberly District of Western Australia, but Sturt and a trip to the NSW outback possibly more rewarding. My work colleague Andrew Cox and I were easily able to schedule four national parks into our two week trip to the NSW’s ‘Corner Country’, so why not give it a go? The Department of Environment and Conservation has recently built a tourist road to Cameron Corner in the north west of NSW, which makes it possible for two wheel drive vehicles with good clearance to visit Sturt National Park (although be prepared for several hundred kilometers of dirt road). The western third of Sturt is covered in red parallel sand dunes, and offers the best opportunity to see the park’s population red kangaroos. These red sand dunes in the park blew in from the Strzelecki Desert in drier Pleistocene. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to wander in the dunes but stay in sight of the road or you may become lost very quickly. There are four camping sites in the park and the Mount Wood shearer’s quarters is available for accommodation on request. One camp, near RAMSAR listed Lake Pinaroo, is where Charles Sturt established Fort Grey during his search for an inland sea in 1845. The lapping waters of this ephemeral lake have for eons washed the iron from the sand along the foreshore. So when you stand in the middle of this usually dry lake you can see startlingly white wind blown sand dunes away off in the distance. From there you can also begin to grasp the arid intensity of the weather. One thing that compensates the prickles and the stones is a universe of stars to keep you up late staring at the sky. You will find that the Milky Way really is milky and in it hides a mythical Emu from the dreamtime. Buying a star atlas for the trip will keep everyone happy for hours. Mount Wood Station and the Outdoor Pastoral Museum, another project of the Foundation (Click here to find out more), are located in the south east quarter of the park and are fascinating artifacts of our cultural heritage. They explain better than any book how the wool industry became established in the outback in the 1890s. What is more, the arid climate has preserved the homestead and its industrial artifacts so that they seem only a fraction of their real age, including an array of old steam engines. Sturt National Park is in the grip of a seven year drought. Only untreated water is available on the park from the camp grounds so it is wise to carry at least one 20 litre container of water if you plan an extended stay. Wood fires are strictly prohibited as in all arid land parks. Sturt is located in the hottest part of NSW, so the best time to visit is winter or spring. If you intend to visit the park, contact the NPWS Tibooburra office on (08) 8091 3308, you won’t be disappointed. In
future issues read about: |
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Make your pet a Backyard Buddy Australians love backyard wildlife, and they love their pets. In 1994 three in five households had at least one pet, one of the highest levels of pet ownership in the world. 38% of households had a dog, 27% had a cat, 16% had a bird and 9% of households had fish. With a little bit of care and a few smart ideas both
possums and pinschers can enjoy a So how do you turn your pet into a Backyard Buddy and keep it safe and sound?
Most native animals are nocturnal, with birds in particular being most active at dusk and dawn. These are the times when it’s best to keep pets and wildlife apart. The ABC’s 2004 WildWatch survey unveiled that the majority (71%) of respondents kept their cat inside at night, compared to only about half of dog owners. About one pet owner in five restricted their animal's movements to a particular area to minimise contact with wildlife. Make
Your Cat a Backyard Buddy
Consider
the great indoors as a playground for your cat - especially at night.
Use a “wildlife
friendly” reflective cat collar. Attach multiple
bells to your cat's collar. Keep your
cat in at night. Litter train
your cat. Lead them
not into temptation.
Make
Your Dog a Backyard Buddy Do not walk
your dog in national parks and nature reserves. Keep your
dog confined in your backyard or on a leash. Keep your
dog in at night. Train your
dog. |
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| Making
stars out of native mice By Teresa Nirta With increasing numbers of feral predators, disappearing habitat and changed fire regimes many of our tiniest bush animals, Australian native rodents, are now endangered. Fortunately, under the sponsorship of the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife, Fred Ford and Linda Broome, Project Managers for the “Active Recovery Program for South-eastern Australian rodents”, are creating innovative ideas to save our native mice from extinction. Through field research, captive colonies and some clever ideas such as a lickometer, Fred and Linda hope to create a large enough knowledge base to successfully re-introduce native rodents back into the wild. Meanwhile, an educational program will make stars out of the tiny bush creatures. Where
are they now? In New South Wales, New Holland Mice, Hastings River Mice and Eastern Chestnut Mice are found mainly north of Sydney. Smoky Mice occur in southern NSW and Victoria, Broad-Toothed Rats occur mainly at high elevations in alpine and sub-alpine areas of the Snowy Mountains and Barrington Tops, and Long-tailed mice are restricted to Tasmania. Yet the bones of these species are commonly found together in fossilised owl deposits, suggesting that they once inhabited much larger areas of habitat. What
we know “We’re unsure what is causing the declining numbers but we feel it has to do with loss of habitat and food resources,” Fred and Linda explain. Some native mice, like the New Holland and Smoky Mice, prefer to live in heath, and although the team is still uncertain as to why, we hypothesise that it may be because it offers them protection from predators and has the richest source of their natural diet. Captive
breeding colonies “We think communal nesting may have a strong influence on the survival of species such as Smoky mice. Ordinarily Smoky mice are communal nesters with up to three or four females in the nest. Recently, because of the decline in numbers, there are only one or two females per nest which may increase their stress levels and reduce their survival rate,” Linda explains. “The other side to this story is that communal nests are easy targets for feral cats that are able to sit outside a nest entrance and eat a colony of mice in a night.”
Manipulating dietary requirements and the lickometer Moving food sources will also reveal much needed information. As Fred explains, Silky mice love to eat flowering banksia heads so the team will cut off the heads of the banksia plants and move them to a different location to see if the mice follow. Measuring
physical performance Making
stars out of native mice - the education and awareness program The rodents’ favourite foods will also be on the menu for a special fundraising dinner. To increase awareness on the plight of Australian native mice, Fred and Linda will serve their guests dishes based on the rodents’ natural food sources, including wattle seed bread and lilly-pilly jam. Fred and Linda will also set up a photographic film system to capture images of their captive rodents’ eating behaviour. They hope to broadcast this over webcam, allowing sponsors access to the footage accompanied by email alerts to notify sponsors when the mice are feeding. This means the stars on many people’s monitors may soon be our tiny bush critters. Hopefully their stardom will help save them from extinction. |
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Green
Gully's Brush-Tailed Rock-Wallabies Green Gully is unique. Situated in Oxley Wild Rivers National Park, 20 kilometres south-east of Armidale, its dramatic rock formations provide shelter to hundreds of endangered Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies (Petrogale penicillata). It is for this reason that the Foundation purchased the property with the help of its donors last year. PhD student Justine Murray recently visited the area to study the wallabies and was amazed by what she saw: “Green Gully blew me away so far as the number of animals. Rock-wallabies were popping up out of everywhere.” At the first site she visited – considered mediocre habitat – Justine easily observed 20 rock-wallabies, some only metres away. She was also impressed by how healthy they were compared to those in other areas. With the support of the Foundation, Justine has been surveying the habitats of the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby (BTRW) throughout southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales, the stronghold for the national population. Since 2004, she has surveyed 200 sites in Queensland and 268 in NSW. This has been achieved on foot, by vehicle or in a helicopter. While helicopter trips are expensive, they are well worth it, says Justine. They help to quickly ascertain whether or not a site is occupied by the BTRW and to reach areas that are inaccessible due to the sheer nature of the cliffs. It allowed Justine to view between 20 and 30 sites in a space of three hours – compared to five sites a day. In the case of Green Gully, Justine took two trips. This involved walking as well as the use of a vehicle. She also took a helicopter ride with the rangers, using her global positioning system to mark where she saw the wallabies. What’s in it for a brushie? Green Gully’s dramatic rock formations are well suited to rock wallabies. But another reason why the BTRW populations appear so healthy here is due to Green Gully’s previous owner. He was stringent in controlling predators, says Justine, regularly setting baits for foxes and feral goats. He also burnt off stretches of land on a regular basis to ensure the scrub didn’t build up too much. The problem with feral goats is that they tend to like the same conditions as the wallabies, camping on cliffs and taking the brushies’ spots. Unfortunately, they also have a tendency to reproduce very quickly, often giving birth to twins. “They breed and soon get out of control,” Justine explains. The problem with foxes is that they can also access rocky climes, putting the wallabies in considerable danger. But at Green Gully, fox numbers have been kept low by the prevalence of dingoes, which the owner allowed to stay. Dingoes don’t tend to prey on the brushies, says Justine, being unable to reach them. “Rock wallabies will only be taken if they’re in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she says. “Wherever dingoes are, rock-wallabies are there. Wherever they get rid of dingoes and bring sheep in, foxes are everywhere and there are no rock-wallabies.” The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service is adopting similar methods to those used by the previous owner. Its rangers are actively managing the area, using predator control and fire management and doing annual helicopter surveys to check the rock-wallaby numbers and occupancy status. While Justine points out that there is no scientific data to support this approach, it does appear to have worked. “In science everything has to be proven,” says Justine, “but it does seem feasible what the previous owner did.” However, she admits that it is not fool-proof. While fires can help keep scrub down, they also encourage lantana growth – a problem in itself. “There are never clear-cut answers,” Justine says. Here today, gone tomorrow? The BTRW in NSW constitute 80% of the national population. “It would take a lot to get rid of them,” Justine says. “There’s a very healthy population.” But there is no room for complacency, she warns. “They’re okay, but you can’t be blasé. There were places I was told they were and they weren’t. If you don’t check on them, you won’t realise they’re gone.” Justine, who is based in Queensland, says that NSW has benefited from more investment than its northern neighbour. “I was very impressed by NSW parks. There is more funding and it shows. Queensland is struggling with a lack of money - there’s not enough to run vehicles, let alone anything else.” And Green Gully is a highlight. “I was inspired to think Green Gully could possibly represent what the rock-wallaby populations used to be like,” Justine says. “It has made me realise the importance of maintaining this special area.” |
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Who won the Dymocks Golden Paw Award 2006? On September 25 our Patron, Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, Governor of New South Wales, presented the Dymocks Golden Paw Award to Georgia Backhouse (7) for her painting of a Gastric Brooding Frog. Her drawing was chosen
out of 7,654 pictures from children all across the NSW and the ACT. It
was the greatest number of entries we received in the five-year history
of the awards. With this money we
will buy a marine mammal rescue kit to help whales and seals in distress.
Thank you very much on behalf of the animals. This year we will also give a special prize to the schools with the most entries. Congratulations;
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