Endangered swift parrot breeding grounds threatened after departmental anti-logging advice ignored, environmentalists claim

Australia's swift parrot has been put under more stress since logging was permitting in key breeding grounds in Tasmania, says conservation group Environment Tasmania. Image by Dejan Stojanovic There are fears the survival of the swift parrot has been further compromised.

Environment Tasmania said right to information documents revealed evidence of the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) approving logging in parrot breeding habitat despite strong scientific advice against activity in the areas.

Environment Tasmania has completed a report based on more than 100 pages of right to information documents that cover five proposed logging coupes in southern Tasmania.

It revealed DPIPWE's Threatened Species Section raised concerns about the impact of the logging on the swift parrot, saying it would result in further loss of breeding habitat.

The DPIPWE departmental group also advised that logging was "... likely to interfere with the recovery objectives of the species".

The group found that logging could not "... contribute to the long-term survival of the species ..." and that "... the conservation management of the species would be ineffective".

Report author Dr Phill Pullinger said the internal departmental advice was blunt.

The breeding range of the swift parrot and how it overlaps with logging areas in Tasmania. Image by Dejan Stojanovic"The scientists were very clear that proceeding with logging in this important breeding habitat for the swift parrot would in no way be justifiable," he said.

The Environment Tasmania report on the documents found senior DPIPWE figures had supported logging in three of the five coupes.

In one case, John Whittington, the Acting Secretary of DPIPWE, said that Forestry Tasmania's ".... proposed duty of care threshold and voluntary contribution are considered to be making a reasonable contribution to the conservation of the species ...".

It is not clear from the documents whether the go ahead was given for a fourth coupe, but Environment Tasmania said it was currently listed on Forestry Tasmania's three-year plan.

Andrew Perry from Environment Tasmania said he was concerned about the impact of the logging on the swift parrot.

"Clearly the legislation in place to protect this species is not working at all if a government department can then just ride roughshod over that advice, and over those mechanisms of protection and decide to send the loggers in there anyway," he said.

Dr Eric Woehler from BirdLife Tasmania said he was also deeply concerned.

"The report shows a catastrophic failure to protect the habitat for an endangered species," he said.

"Its designation as an endangered species means that it is the closest to extinction of all the threatened species categories that we have so it's in a very bad way."

Department head defends conservation efforts

But DPIPWE general manager Alistair Scott said Environment Tasmania's report failed to acknowledge the work undertaken by the department to help in the conservation of the swift parrot.

He said the department worked with Forestry Tasmania and the Forest Practices Authority to achieve protection of habitat within the coupes, and that extensive tracts of land had been excluded from the harvesting plan to ensure the maximum possible nesting and foraging habitat was protected.

Forestry Tasmania said in the case of the coupes, it had worked with the Forest Practices Authority to provide protection at the landscape level for potential foraging and nesting habitat.

Dr Pullinger said questions remained about why the scientific advice was not heeded.

"It's not clear in the documentation, but you do have to question what sort of direction the senior ministers are providing their bureaucrats," he said.

It's estimated there are only 1000 breeding pairs of swift parrots left in Australia. Image by Fiona BlackwoodMr Parry said the logging of the coupes would have implications for Forestry Tasmania and its bid to gain FSC certification.

"You would have to say that this sort of activity is going to make it incredibly hard for Forestry Tasmania to get Forest Stewardship Certification (FSC) because this sort of activity was listed in the standards of FSC," he said.

Forestry Tasmania said it was working with the department to develop future management arrangements for the swift parrot within the Permanent Timber Production Zone.

Dr Pullinger said he was worried parrot breeding habitat had already been extensively logged over recent years and that made remaining patches of swift parrot breeding habitat more important.

He now wants state and federal environment ministers to investigate.

Tasmania's Environment Minister Matt Groom said he was disappointed Environment Tasmania has failed to recognise the significant work DPIPWE had undertaken on swift parrot conservation.

"I am confident in the approach DPIPWE has taken on this issue. The facts are, all decisions have been made in accordance with the relevant acts, including the Threatened Species Act," he said.

"The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment has worked extensively with Forestry Tasmania and the Forest Practices Authority to provide protection of potential foraging and nesting habitat for the swift parrot."

Breeding surveys indicate there are an estimated 1,000 breeding pairs of the swift parrot left.

Every autumn the bird flies from Tasmania to Victoria and New South Wales and has been know to fly as far north as Queensland.

It only breeds in patches of forest in Tasmania where it can nest in tree hollows in old growth eucalypts.

In addition, the bird needs nearby flowering blue and black gums to feed on to prepare for their journey across Bass Strait.