Habitat Audits

I have lifted the comment made by Blue Chaffinch (there will be some among you who recognise the Canary Islands connection) and put it on the main page.

Tristan's company exists by contracting to (mainly) local bodies, e.g city and regional councils, in the UK who have to undergo an independent audit (independent of any government agency) of the habitat whenever habitat change is desired (by that particular local body council); this could take 12 months or longer.
The entire case, for and against, would then go to the equivalent of a national Environmental Protection Agency which might take a further 12 months to make a decision.

You will all note his incredulity that mangrove clearing is allowed in Queensland without any public input at all, let alone a habitat review by an independent authority, although DERM (Dept of Environment and Resource Management) through it's Fisheries Management arm was apparently closely consulted.

Throughout Europe and in most North American states an independent and ecologically rigorous audit is required by law in cases such as this; seems Queensland is quite a way behind world's best practice.

So, as Brian Venables suggests, we should move towards a new regime of habitat auditing BEFORE habitats are threatened.

Andy Anderson,
Birding Cairns.

Blue Chaffinch said -

1 comments:

Blue Chaffinch said...

I've just been fortunate enough to spend some time in and around Cairns with Andy Anderson and saw for myself the vegetation clearance undertaken on Saltwater Creek. Here in the UK this kind of work would absolutely have to be preceded by a full ecological survey and assessement, ideally a full calendar year's worth. This would then allow a robust mitigation strategy to be devised and implemented. I'm not at all au fait with the legislative framework in Queensland but I can't believe that the local authority can get away without protecting the environment, even when the work is deemed essential and/or 'minor'. Maybe they simply don't give a damn? The reasons given for the clearance are highly dubious it seems to me - how can mangrove removal be an acceptable method for conserving fish stocks or flood defence? Aren't mangroves and other wetland habitats a natural defence against flooding as well as spawning grounds for fish? Basic ecology. Anyway, my advice is to gather as much detailed information on these unprotected sites as you can - species lists, breeding territories, population estimates etc - as it is only hard evidence that will ever stop this kind of pointless destruction of valuable habitat. What's the local university doing for goodness/ sake? Ideal project for students as well as local birders... OK, best of luck. Tristan Norton Winchester, Hampshire, UK

3 December 2009 5:49 AM 

Vigilance about environment

White-lipped Tree Frog Litoria infrafrenata
Photo by Rebecca Diete

Striped Possum Dactylopsila trivergata Photo by Rebecca Diete

Andy,

I took some friends down the Centenary Lakes Boardwalk last night and got these photos.(26/11/09)

Just looking at these I am prompted to ask everybody to stay vigilant in defending the environment and keep the pressure on our Council to take more care than they have done considering the recent habitat destruction in Saltwater Creek. 

The most disappointing feature of this is that no thought at all was given to the importance of this mangrove forest as a habitat and as a consequence no thought of any means to preserve it. We must strive to change the thinking of those who govern us, we have much to lose. 

Brian Venables,Edge Hill.

Better Luck Next Year

Well that Rufous Owl Saga is over for another year. Talked to front desk Ann in the local DERM today (Dept of Environment & Resource Management - old National Parks & Environmental Protection Agency combined) but Scott Sullivan from Townsville who has been in charge of the Rufous Owl protection permit is away from his desk until Fri 27th and Ann didn't know for sure if he had lifted the protection order.
Ann also mentioned that a woman had rung in, complaining that the mangrove clearing had been delayed simply because of an owl! Not good enough apparently.

So I rang Russell Wild and asked if the Council intended to cut down the 3 Melaleucas the owls nest/socialise in, when mangrove clearing recommenced. He told me that there had never been any intent to cut the trees down.

He also said that replanting of certain mangrove species had already begun from the Collins St end. He added that the Council was satisfied that the mangrove clearing will decrease the likelihood of upstream flooding from once in 5 years to once in 20 years.

We look forward to future co-operation between the Council, DERM, and Birding Cairns on this and other matters.
Andy A.,
Birding Cairns.

Events of November 18 - 2009 - Changing of the Guard ?

At 0600 hours on the 18th November I made the gruesome discovery of this dead Rufous Owl chick under an adjacent Melaleuca to the nest tree at Saltwater Creek, Centenary Lakes. I immediately informed EPA and also Council (through Martin Cohen) and collected the specimen in case the Qld. Museum wanted it. The shell of this egg did seem to be paper thin.
A group of volunteers watched the nest hollow tree until 21.30 that evening with no sign of the owls. Could this be the end of this years breeding ?
A Great-billed Heron apparently thought so as it took up roost in the owl nest tree as this photo of Jun Matsui   shows.
The Great-billed Heron has recently begun to show on our (Cairnsbirds) species list for the Centenary Lakes a function I believe of the improving habitat with the mangroves developing into a mature forest. This species could prove a good litmus test for the rehabilitation of the mangrove forest currently being destroyed by Cairns Regional Council.

                                          Photos by Jun Matsui.
Brian Venables Edge Hill.

Rufous Owl Update Saltwater Creek

Sat 14 November,1830 hrs. Graham Snell,Carlos (visitor from Florida) and myself visited the Rufous Owl nest hollow in the big melaleuca by Saltwater Cr. in the Centenary Lakes. At 1845 hrs. one bird appeared from the hollow and flew overhead towards the Freshwater Lake. We waited until 1930 hrs but saw no further sign of the bird.
Later that evening I received an email from Jun Matsui and he supplied the photo above.  Jun had arrived some time after our departure and got this shot round 2000 hrs.
An inspection this morning by Graham Snell,Andy Anderson and myself revealed  no on ground evidence of the nestling seen in Jun's photo but did reveal fresh remains of a Pied Imperial Pigeon. It would seem the pair are still very active at the nest hollow.
Brian Venables, Edge Hill.

New look" Fish Sanctuary"

This is the new look "Fish Sanctuary " in Saltwater Creek at the Collins Avenue bridge. We should hang our heads in shame if this is the way we manage our sanctuaries.
Brian Venables, Edge Hill.

4/11/09 - RUFOUS OWLS
Nice one Jun. Good that Russell Wild and his wife were there to see. Let's hope this experience increased his understanding of the needs of wild animals in a man-controlled plant environment, as it's curious that so many nests of so many birds in all of those mangroves were allowed to be destroyed during the breeding season. And so much feeding habitat destroyed for those birds raising young in contiguous habitats.
Andy Anderson,
Birding Cairns.

03/11/09 - RUFOUS OWLS, Saltwater Lake, Centenary Lakes Cairns.
Brian Venables, Jun Matsui, Russell Wild (Cairns Regional Council Environmental Officer)and his wife Maria.
Round 1900 hrs we all met at the nest tree and were treated with an unexpected display. One bird emerged from the hollow and posed at the rim for Jun's camera. It then left the hollow and met another owl in an adjacent melaleuca (more pix). One bird appeared to pass something small to the other and eventually one bird went back to the hollow and disappeared down into it. My bet is the chicks have not yet fledged. I have been advised by council that an environmental assessment is underway.
John Seale.

Cairns Birding Forum

Cairns Birding Forum

http://cairnsbirding.blogspot.com/2009/11/cairns-birding-forum.html#comments

Photos of the Rufous Owl pair Saltwater Creek Cairns.
Note female with Brood patch.
2/11/2009 by Jun Matsui

Cairns Birding Forum

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