Carnaby's black-cockatoo. Image by Ralph GreenENVIRONMENTAL scientists have moved in to protect the endangered Carnaby black cockatoo as upgrading work takes place on sections of the Great Northern Highway between Muchea and Bindi Bindi.
The cockatoo is found in the State’s south west and breeds in the Wheatbelt area.
Environmental scientists working for Access Alliance, a partnership between Main Roads, Maunsell AECOM and Brierty Construction managing the highway upgrade work, discovered several nesting hollows adjacent to the road may be affected by the road works.
Alliance environment manager Andrew Batty and his team are taking steps to ensure the redesigned highway avoids as many trees as possible with nesting hollows.
According to Dr Batty, many trees alongside the highway will remain intact but two nesting hollows will be affected.
“We are building artificial nesting hollows for the Carnaby black cockatoo before winter next year – the traditional start of the nesting period for the birds,” Dr Batty said.
“While we’re unable to avoid the impact on two natural hollows, we will be offsetting this with 10 artificial hollows, installed and monitored under the expert guidance of WA’s leading expert on Carnaby’s, the Western Australian Museum’s Ron Johnstone.
“We are looking forward to next winter to watch this very special and threatened nomadic cockatoo return to these feeding and breeding sites alongside the highway.”
Dr Batty said regular monitoring of the artificial hollows will take place to find out if the cockatoos are using their new homes.
“Their breeding sites have declined by more than 50 per cent in the past 45 years and we are confident our initiatives will make a positive difference for the population in this part of the Wheatbelt,” he said.