Last ditch plea to protect pine forest adopted by Carnaby's black cockatoos

The Australian government has been asked to intervene to save the habitat of about 4,000 black cockatoos near Perth

Oliver Milman

theguardian.com, Monday 25 August 2014 07.59 BST

Conservationists have made a last ditch plea to the federal government to intervene to help prevent a species of cockatoo from becoming extinct due to the felling of its habitat.

Research by BirdLife Australia found there are 3,922 Carnaby’s black cockatoos in the large Gnangara pine plantation, north of Perth. This equates to around 10% of the global population of this endangered cockatoo.

The Western Australian government has been clearing the 23,000 hectare (57,000 acre) plantation to protect Perth’s water catchment area due to the amount of water the trees require.

However, BirdLife Australia said the plantation isn’t being replaced with any native forest, meaning the “catastrophic” clearing will hasten the Carnaby’s black cockatoo’s extinction. The wildlife organisation said the cockatoo’s population is in collapse, declining by around 15% a year.

Unlike many other woodland creatures, the Carnaby’s black cockatoo has adapted somewhat to the widespread felling of native forest in favour of timber plantations.

Continued ...