Specials

Saving the Gouldian Finch

The Gouldian Finch – A Truly Beautiful Bird

Background On This Endangered Bird

The Gouldian Finch has declined rapidly in numbers in its native habitats in the Northern territory and the North of Western Australia from many tens of thousands less than 30 years ago to around 2,500 birds in total today.

You may have seen representations of this striking bird on virtually all advertisements for Viewsonic display screens which it has been 'gracing' since the early 1990s.

Details of the Gouldian Finch can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gouldian_Finch

What Is Being Done To Save This Important Species?

Several organisations have combined resources to attempt to fully understand what has caused the rapid decline of the Gouldian Finch including the Save the Gouldian Fund, the Australian Wild Life Conservancy and the World Wildlife Fund (Australia) among others.

What Can Exetel/You Do To Help The Gouldian Finch?

Exetel has finalised an agreement to provide funds to an important research project to be conducted over 3 years to attempt to exactly determine what part man set agricultural fires play in destroying the seeds that are the staple diet of the Gouldian and 22 other finches in the North West of Australia.

Some of the funds necessary to conduct this research have already been promised and Exetel is providing the balance.

Exetel, on behalf of you and all other Exetel broadband customers will use a ‘pool of money’ generated from providing 50 cents per customer per month to be used on this and other similar projects should there be enough money to fund similar research programs.

As well as the money that Exetel will donate on your behalf you may like to donate a further amount of money yourself by authorizing Exetel to add your donation to the monthly debit for your broadband service.

The Project Exetel Is Funding At $5,000 Per Month

Gouldian Finch

Introduction

The Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae) is listed as an Endangered species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC). STGF has an extensive history working to protect this flagship species from extinction.

Background

Gouldian finches are small, brightly coloured seed-eating birds restricted to the northern savannas of Australia.

Prior to European settlement they ranged from Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, through the northern half of the Northern Territory to the Kimberley Region of Western Australia.

Discovered and named by the renowned English Ornithologist, John Gould, in the last 50 years their population has contracted substantially with the species being recorded reliably at only a small number of sites in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Today, there are approximately 2,500 individuals present in the wild.

The Threat

Fire

The most significant and immediate threat to the Gouldian finch is the changed fire pattern since European colonisation. Historically, local Indigenous communities would manage the country by doing smaller, managed burn offs. Today, large scale, late dry season wildfires sweep through vast tracts of land devastating both the important Cockatoo Grass and Curly Spinifex – the two main food sources in the Gouldian’s diet during the wet.

Importantly, fire also affects seed productivity in these key wet season grasses creating a resource bottleneck which given the restricted diet of the Gouldian, combined with their essential annual lifecycle, makes them particularly vulnerable.

Grazing

Key wet season grasses that Gouldians depend upon – cockatoo grass and golden beard grass are also selectively grazed by cattle and horses. Feral pigs have also been shown to impact dramatically on vegetation loss further eroding or degrading food sources for the Gouldian.

Solution & Action Summary (WWF In Conjunction With Save The Gouldian Fund)

Objectives

To implement improved grazing, feral herbivore and fire management systems in partnership with other stakeholders at key properties in the Kimberley region.

Indicator: Analysis of satellite fire maps in focal area indicate a reduction in wildfire extent

To use scientifically robust monitoring to demonstrate increases in populations of Gouldian finches in the region where WWF management is targeted.

Indicator: Analysis of Gouldian finch population in focal area indicates stability or an increase

Actions

These objectives will be achieved through the following actions:

Select properties to target for involvement in the fire 1. management project.

Efforts

Engage land managers of selected properties in proactive fire management that will benefit the Gouldian finch via both initial personnel conversations, followed up by a community forum (likely to be held in Kununurra) to gain local/joint support.

Once properties and stakeholders have been identified and commit to the project, develop an agreed fire management plan for the region, to be developed in collaboration with the Gouldian finch co-ordinator. Implement early dry season fire management plan for 3 years.

Annually monitor Gouldian populations’ responses to the fire management at selected sites. Sites will be selected based on the best available science (CSIRO modeling).

Report on the management actions and make the Gouldian finch numbers public and distributed to the stakeholders involved and also the wider community.

Budget

An indicative budget is $105,000/yr for a 3 year period. (Exetel will donate $60,000 per year to this budget)
This is based on a salary of approx $55,000 -$60,000 plus super/admin for a coordinator, and an operating budget of approximately $25,000/yr for implementing the fire management plan.
It is also likely that some funds will be required to facilitate planning workshops each year. The amount for this will be determined by the number of stakeholders who wish to be involved. Facilitating planning workshops is generally considered the most appropriate method of getting community support for regional fire plans.

Timeline – June 2008 to June 2011

A communications plan will be developed separately, bearing in mind that opportunities will be sought to optimise publicity for this species, the threat and the work being done during the course of the 3 year project.

Project Updates

Progress reports by the Project manager for this and other Exetel sponsored projects can be found here:

http://forum.exetel.com.au/viewforum.php?f=323&sid=7921f33759cf99130d18660f0b5ebc49