Download Pest Bird Management Policy

Pest Bird Management Policy
The aim of this policy is to outline scientific issues of interest to BirdLife Australia in relation to the
management of pest birds in Australia.
Position Statement
1.
BirdLife Australia supports efforts to limit the negative impacts on native biodiversity of pest
species, including birds, whether introduced or native.
2.
BirdLife Australia advocates an evidence-based approach to defining and controlling the social,
economic and environmental impacts of pest species and supports research aimed at providing
that evidence.
3.
Pest bird species may be a threat to our biosecurity. This threat should be managed in the same
way as other biosecurity threats with effective quarantine and management policies and
programs operating within a consistent regulatory framework at national and state levels.
4.
To deal with pest birds, BirdLife Australia advocates a planning approach within existing
regulatory frameworks. This should be based on science and community participation to
manage wildlife populations in the context of their environment – both natural and
anthropogenic.
5.
Pest bird management should focus on identifying and managing impacts to acceptable levels
and involve ethical considerations.
6.
BirdLife Australia is opposed to wildlife destruction that is inhumane or ill-considered.
Policy Background
BirdLife Australia is concerned with the conservation of native birds and their habitats. Human activity
has changed the distribution and numbers of most native bird species in Australia; many have had their
distribution or their numbers reduced to the extent that they are threatened or extinct. At the other
extreme, some species have extended their distribution and/or increased their numbers to the point
where we perceive them to be a problem. In addition, there are established wild populations of bird
species that have been introduced by humans into Australia in the last two centuries. This policy uses
the term pest species to cover both native and introduced species. Pest bird species can adversely affect
native birds and their habitats. In some cases pest species threaten the persistence of threatened bird
species, for example through competition for limited resources. Pest birds may also pose a threat to our
national biosecurity.
Policy Number: 2010/004
Date Adopted: 27-11-2010
Last Updated: 05-01-2011
Many bird species are abundant: that is they have a large total population size. Some are considered to
be benign throughout their range, but those that are perceived to be a problem because of their
numbers and/or behaviour are called pests. One cockatoo chewing on a veranda rail may be one too
many for some people in suburbia. A flock of thousands of cockatoos, corellas or galahs chewing on a
cereal crop can have an economic impact on an agricultural business. The term ‘pest’ relates to
populations, not individual animals. It also relates to the scale of the unwanted impact. However, the
cocky examples illustrate that human perceptions and values must be taken into account in defining,
identifying and managing pest birds and their impacts.
The issue is further complicated by the perception that some listed threatened species can sometimes
act as pests. For example, Baudin's Black-Cockatoo can have an economic impact on agricultural
businesses in south-western Western Australia. Illegal culling exacerbates the threatened status of the
bird and makes non-lethal solutions to the problem more urgent. Currently, there are some non-lethal
techniques to mitigate damage by pest species, including decoy feeding, netting and noise deterrents.
For Birds that are threatened (and wherever effective non-lethal control exists), BirdLife Australia
strongly advocates; the use of non-lethal techniques to mitigate impacts; research and development of
appropriate crop protection or scare techniques; exploration of the use of incentives and/or
compensation mechanisms; and public education to address the issue.
Overabundance means “too many”. That is, if a population of a species is called “overabundant”, it is
perceived as being in excessive numbers relative to some level of comfort, safety, economic impact or
environmental matter such as competition, predation, aggression, or as vectors of disease; in short, it is
a “pest”. Abundance does not necessarily lead to, or equate with, overabundance or pest status. A
species can be pest to one person, at one time and place, yet the entire population of the species in
Australia might not be abundant. Thus, “abundance” is a statement of numbers; “overabundance” and
“pest” are statements of human perception.
A bird is a pest if in its interactions with humans it is a nuisance, destructive, troublesome or it is
harmful to agriculture. The Common Myna and Common Starling are two introduced species that have a
long history of cohabitation with humans and are well adapted to living in urban and rural areas in
Australia. Common Starlings cause significant damage to fruit, vegetable and cereal crops and are
implicated in the transmission of diseases. Similarly, the Common Myna is potentially a significant
agricultural pest, although its impacts in Australia are not well understood. Both species are considered
to be major nuisances in urban areas, where they spread weeds, nest under rooves, infest houses with
bird lice and roost in large flocks that are noisy and can contaminate areas with droppings. Both species
compete with native wildlife for resources, particularly nesting hollows, but their impacts on native bird
populations are not well understood. Both the Common Starling and Common Myna are expanding their
range nationally and further research is warranted into their spread and impacts.
We can call birds pest species, including native birds, in cases where they cause a local ecological
imbalance, particularly when their overabundance may be causing serious impacts. The Australian
endemic honeyeater genus Manorina provides some examples. The Bell Miner is associated with the
dieback of forest trees. Bell Miner Associated Dieback (BMAD) is currently spreading rapidly through
sclerophyll forests on public and private lands throughout eastern Australia and it is now of national
significance. Similarly, in eastern Australia the Noisy Miner is associated with dieback of trees in
woodland areas and the loss of bird diversity in woodlands throughout eastern Australia. These two
species establish colonies that aggressively exclude the smaller insectivorous birds that would otherwise
control insect infestations in trees. The rare Black-eared Miner is now threatened by hybridisation with
the Yellow-throated Miner because the habitat loss and degradation affecting the Black-eared Miner is
creating habitat suitable for invasion by the Yellow-throated Miner.
Even in the most problematic cases, eradication of pest species is rarely practicable or even possible.
Often, limited resources must be allocated between conserving our native birds together with their
habitats and dealing with pest species. So we must be clear about why a bird species is considered to be
a pest; what the management goals will be depending on different scales of impact, area and time; and
Policy Number: 2010/004
Date Adopted: 27-11-2010
Last Updated: 05-01-2011
what resources will be required to achieve management goals. There may be some cases where
incursions of species are sufficiently recent or small or significant in their potential impact that
eradication is a sensible goal. This would include “sleeper species” that may seem to be benign but have
a high potential to be serious pests in the future. BirdLife Australia supports the early control of
potentially damaging “sleeper species” and high-risk new introductions.
Principles of Management
BirdLife Australia’s policy on managing the impacts of pest birds is based on four principles: a planning
approach, regulation, thresholds of impact and ethical considerations.
Planning approach
To achieve both scientific rigour and community support for managing pest bird species a transparent
planning process is required. This has been achieved for some species (e.g. seasonally aggressive birds
such as nesting Australian Magpies). It requires an assessment of the current population size, cause of
increase and identified impacts (e.g. eating crops, harming people), and management tools used to
resolve the issues (e.g. culling, limiting the species’ access to food and nesting resources, public
education, research and monitoring). An important aspect of planning is public education about the pest
species and the perceptions of their impacts. Where culling is legal (i.e for the control of bird species
that are not threatened) where it is to be used, plans should incorporate a clear statement on when
culling is appropriate and how it should be carried out and monitored. Dealing with relatively minor
nuisance birds should involve mitigation, education and tolerance: after all, birds mostly enrich our
lives.
Regulation
All wildlife management must be undertaken under the regulations of the appropriate jurisdiction
whether local, state or territory, or federal government. When pest species are managed, there should
be an obligation to record the following minimum information: geographic extent and numbers of the
population/s to be controlled; type, scale and severity of impact; relevant ecological information on the
population/s to be controlled; methods of control to reduce the impact; parties responsible for the
controls; number/s of animals to be controlled, over what time period; tolerable thresholds of impacts;
and planning approach to be followed. The effectiveness of the management action (both changes in the
targeted species’ population and their impact) should be thoroughly evaluated, as well as any positive
and negative impacts on non-target species and the environment where the control actions take place.
Licensing and regulation are useful tools in managing populations of pest species. By keeping detailed
records, and assessing them, we would have a much better overall picture of wildlife issues on a
national, regional and state-wide basis.
Thresholds of impact
Threat abatement plans (TAPs) aim to abate threatening processes to a level that allows the recovery of
identified populations of threatened species and measure their recovery. TAPs also aim to limit the
impact of threatening processes on native species and ecological communities (See
www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/tap.html for further information on National Threat
Abatement Plans.)
Policy Number: 2010/004
Date Adopted: 27-11-2010
Last Updated: 05-01-2011
Similarly, management planning for pest species needs to identify the impacts and manage them down
to a tolerable level, which will require community and scientific input. In either case, management
needs to be evidence-based and adaptive, with long-term research to determine whether the plan is
achieving its goals and how it might be modified in the light of new information.
Ethical considerations
Humane treatment:
The humane treatment of individual animals is mandatory in all actions and plans to address the
impacts of pest species. National guidance is available through the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy
(AAWS). http://www.daff.gov.au/animal-plant-health/welfare/aaws and there is state and territory
legislation.
Responsibility for costs and damages:
Where pest species cause damage to property, management planning should take cognisance of the
responsibilities and liabilities that arise because of that damage. Similarly, there will be responsibilities
and liabilities in the preparation of plans and the implementation of management actions.
Population targets:
Management planning for pest species may incorporate population targets linked to characteristics such
as population size, density or rate of increase or decrease. In setting targets, ethical criteria should be
considered along with environmental, economic and social criteria. There is a need to act when
confronted with problem species. BirdLife Australia recognises the ethical concerns raised by some
members of the community, but advocates for the appropriate control of pest species where control is
warranted.
Procedural fairness:
Whatever management planning is undertaken for pest species, there needs to be transparency and fair
representation of relevant stakeholders in decision-making.
Much of the Background and Principles in this policy were derived from Lunney D, Baker J, Matthews A,
Waples K, Dickman C and Cogger H (2007). Overabundant native vertebrates in NSW: characterising
populations, gauging perceptions, and developing an ethical management framework. Pest or guest: the
Zoology of overabundance pp 158-73. Conference Proceedings 2005, Royal Zoological Society of NSW.
What can the community do?
•
Work with governments at all levels to ensure they have accurate information to establish and
understand the risks and impacts of pest birds
•
Know how to identify potential problem species and assist with surveillance
•
Cooperate with governments when they take evidence-based, well-planned action to manage the
impacts of pest birds
•
Work to conserve and re-establish habitat for native bird species
•
Minimise the amount of habitat created that is suitable for introduced and pest birds
Policy Number: 2010/004
Date Adopted: 27-11-2010
Last Updated: 05-01-2011