ENVIROFORUM: “Where Science Meets Beer”

Next Event: Australia’s Diminishing Woodland Soundscape: How a fellow native bird is having a deadly impact

Speaker: Professor Martine Maron -University of Queensland

Australia is the place where songbirds first evolved. So how is it that a widespread community of over 100 species has declined to the point that it now meets the criteria for an Endangered Ecological Community under Australia’s National Biodiversity legislation?

We know the usual suspects:

• ·         Habitat loss through deforestation to meet human food needs (cows for example)
• ·         Introduced feral species (cats in particular)
• ·         Urbanisation (development without consideration to environmental consequences)
• ·         Natural disasters (fires for sure)

Noisy Miners hassling Little Wattlebirds

However, there is also another major threat. Introducing our very own hyper-aggressive native Noisy Miner (not to be confused with the Common or Indian Myna). The Noisy Miner is now nationally listed as a Key Threatening Species.

“If we can learn how to manage this bird, we could potentially free up vast areas of woodland for endangered woodland birds. I will describe the findings of recent experiments to control the noisy miner and outline some tough decisions we need to take to keep the Australian bush loud with birdsong” -  Professor Martine Maron

“What is the bush without birdsong? We take our woodland birds for granted but there is now a real and immediate danger that a sound known to all will die. Is culling the answer?”  - Brian Young EnviroForum

Martine Maron is Professor of Environmental Management and an Australian Research Council Future Fellow at The University of Queensland. She is also Deputy Director of The Threatened Species Recovery Hub and leads its policy research Theme.

She leads an international working group which is developing a new approach to aligning ecological compensation with conservation targets. She has a special interest in how to manage the aggressive noisy miner to restore woodland bird communities

EVENT DETAILS

When: Wednesday 26^th February

Where: Land and Sea Brewery, 19 Venture Drive Noosaville

Time: 6.15pm to 7.30pm (come early as Happy Hour is from 4pm to 6pm)

Great food is available for purchase from the Land and Sea menu

A $5 contribution per person is welcome (kids 15 years and under are free). All monies collected goes towards the great work done by the Noosa Parks Association, including the purchase of land for national parks to create safe biodiversity corridors, especially for koalas. Noosa Parks Association is a fully volunteer organisation