Cockatoos feed at rehabilitated South West mine sites
Several types of threatened cockatoo species have taken to eating at an unusual feeding spot south-east of Perth - disused mine sites.
A rehabilitation program has seen several Newmont Boddington Mine sites transformed from large-scale gold harvesting operations into feeding spots for the birds.
The Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Carnaby's Cockatoo and Baudin's Cockatoo are three threatened species visiting the revegetated sites home for meals.
Murdoch University researchers have spent three years studying the feeding habits of the black cockatoos at the sites.
Murdoch's Doctor Hugh Finn says the pits that were studied have been revegetated with native trees and shrubs less than 15 years ago.
"With the intent of the rehabilitation they do at mine sites, it's to recreate forest habitat, so it has a broader conservation objective," he said.
Dr Finn says the cockatoos have been feeding at the sites after about seven years, when the plants began producing flowers and seeds.
"Our specific question was when do black cockatoos begin feeding in these rehabilitated mine sites and what are they feeding on, " Dr Finn said,
"So what we found is black cockatoos feed on a very common tree in the forest, also Banksia and Hakea which are shrub species."
The research team studied feeding activity at a number of pits where mining had been complete at differing times.
"When these birds feed on native plants they leave feeding residue, so for example people would be familiar with Honkey Nuts and those leave characteristic residues from black cockatoos," Dr Finn said
"We're able to go into these sites, assess the vegetation that is there and then look for these residues and that's how we're able to document the feeding activity."
No quick fix
However, while the program has been widely praised, West Australian Greens MP Lynn MacLaren says while her party supports revegetation and reproduced habitats, it is concerned about how long it takes to rehabilitate a mine site.
"Conservation is the most effective method of restoring numbers of the animal," she said.
"Cockatoo species including the Carnaby's, Baudin's and the Forest Red-tailed-Black are all threatened with extinction due to habitat loss and fragmentation.
"Obviously we welcome high quality revegetation on degraded land, but even in this successful case, seven years to develop a foraging habitat is a long time for varying species that need it now."
Ms MacLaren says the reason the species are threatened is primarily because of land clearing.
"The layers of complexity of a natural ecosystem that will nurture biodiversity takes a long time to develop," she said.
"I have been advocating long-term to protect different Cockatoos at risk of losing their habitat to housing, roads and industrial development.
"It needs to be acknowledged that conserving natural ecosystems is by far the most effective strategy to stop our extinction crisis.
"We need to stop ploughing through their environment."
The next step
Newmont Boddington Gold says the collaboration with Murdoch, the WA Museum and the former Department of Environment and Conservation has led to increased conservation efforts when closing mines.
A spokesperson says the company's revegetation programs are going from strength to strength.
"The purchase of high value, privately held land in conjunction with the monitoring of habitat usage by Black Cockatoos within the mining lease area assists the development and implementation of species' recovery programs and informs our future rehabilitation and conservation efforts.
"Newmont Boddington Gold has extended work on establishing artificial nesting boxes in the region and developed and implemented programs to manage competition to cockatoos for nesting and breeding sites."
Dr Fin says the natural progression is to conduct a breeding program in the rehabilitated areas.
He says that while a natural habitat is better than a rehabilitated habitat, the cockatoos adapt to what they are presented with.
"What it tells us is that whether you live in the city or in the bush, if you plant the food plants that these species eat then they'll come and eat them," he said.
"So it's very encouraging news in terms of trying to revegetate landscapes throughout the South West."