What State Forests is doing to help the Malleefowl

Fox Baiting

For the last ten years State Forests has been baiting wild foxes in Goonoo State Forest to control their numbers. The malleefowl relies on quietness and camouflage to survive and this is often not enough to avoid foxes. The baits used are meat pieces or commercial preparations, dosed with 1080, and placed in mounds of loose sandy soil. In September and October 2000, State Forests laid 872 baits, 226 of these were taken by foxes. This ‘take’ is less than other years indicating that predator numbers may have declined due to the last decade of intensive baiting.

Funding the Breeding Program

Since 1994 State Forests has contributed financially to the Malleefowl Breeding Program at Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo. State Forests also supplied the original breeding pairs of malleefowl to the Zoo. The program has been highly successful with 125 chicks being hatched in six years, 103 surviving and 75 being released into Yathong Nature Reserve.

Population Surveys

State Forests is designing a survey to identify population numbers of malleefowl in Goonoo State Forest. The surveying will start in March 2001 and will involve the local community conservation groups. Figures from the survey will be available from July 2001 and will provide more accurate and up to date information about the number and location of malleefowl in Goonoo State Forest. Future surveys will be carried out on a regular basis to monitor population changes.

Community Education

State Forests Western Region ecologist Patrick Tap is a regular speaker at community group meetings. The intent of his presentations is to inform interested members of the local community of State Forests actions to protect and enhance plant and animal habitat and to seek community feedback and involvement.

Protecting Malleefowl Habitat from Timber Harvesting

Goonoo State Forest covers an area of more than 62,000 hectares of which less than 5% is selectively harvested each year. Surveys of the forest are conducted before all harvesting operations to identify malleefowl and other native animals. Timber harvesting is excluded from at least a 100 metre radius around any malleefowl roost or nest site identified in the pre-harvest surveys. Other conservation measures applied to State forest limit the number of trees removed and minimise ground disturbance.

Webcam – Live Viewing of the Malleefowl

State Forests is currently setting up a web camera at an active malleefowl site in Goonoo State Forest. From February 2001, visitors to State Forests’ Internet web site will be able to view the malleefowl live from the nesting site. This will provide State Forests with information to better protect malleefowl in Goonoo and give bird lovers a unique insight into the bird’s daily life. The malleefowl Webcam Project is being supported by Western Plains Zoo and Advanced Energy.

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