Red-tail Black Cockatoo
This project supports actions to prevent further population decline of the endangered South-eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
(SeRtBC)
It supports priority actions to address threats from habitat loss through regeneration of feed trees, protection and augmentation of nest sites and use of Traditional Burning techniques for wildfire management.
Project: Red-tails of the Glenelg Plain
Value: $1,200,000 over 4 years
Funded by: National Landcare Program
Cultural burning for Red-tails
In October 2020 a burn using traditional cultural techniques was undertaken at Hurdle Swamp, near Casterton. Glenelg Hopkins CMA and the DELWP staff supported Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners to deliver a successful burn to enhance the habitat of the South-Eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo.
The cultural burn of 16ha employed traditional burning practices to ensure tree canopies were protected while the understorey fuel levels were reduced, but the food source of cockatoos in the trees were protected. Post-burn flora surveys conducted to see how the areas had responded to the burn has returned interesting results.
Initial observations included flowering Grass Trees and a high number of Banksia seedlings growing following their pod-split from the burn, while the tree canopies have remained as productive food sources for the Red-tails. However, the Glenelg Hopkins CMA team found patches of vegetation that appeared almost completely untouched by fire.
“On analysing that data it showed the burn pattern was highly species specific – some plant species were almost completely burnt out, while others were largely untouched. This is likely to have occurred due to differences in species flammability,” Glenelg Hopkins CMA senior field officer, Ben Zeeman, said.
“The cool, low-intensity burn may have reduced bushfire risk at the site by removing the more flammable fuels, while leaving low-flammable fuel behind to continue serving as habitat cover.
“While more work is still needed before we can be really confident, it is a really interesting early result.”
Project delivery partners:
Greening Australia, Trust for Nature, Birdlife Australia, Barengi Gadjin Land Council, Gundtij Mirring Traditional Owners
