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Extinction is forever!

A threatened species is a species that is threatened with extinction. While eventual extinction is a natural process for all species within natural systems, it is naturally an extremely slow process taking many hundreds or thousands of years for a species to become extinct. Many species can evolve into new species over time carrying many of their genes with them, but the extinction of a species means the total loss of the entire gene pool that made up that species so it no longer exists.  It is the loss of these species, their gene pool and the important ecological roles that each plays, that now threatens the integrity of the natural environment and together with climate change, is threatening the ability for our own survival on earth. 

Today, the over population of humans and our accompanying insatiable appetite for food production and development, is destroying our fundamental life-support system - the natural environment. Consequently, the extinction rate of species has increased to around 1000% higher than the natural rate. Due to that massive increase and the desperate need to maintain a functional natural environment, a set of pre-extinction criteria has been set up to help identify species and prioritise where recovery work is most needed worldwide.  These categories of threat are also applied to Australian wildlife and their habitats.

Categories of threat:

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) developed a method to describe the conservation status of species that is now used worldwide.

  • Extinct: Species no longer exists;

  • Extinct in the Wild: species only exist in captivity;

  • Critically Endangered (CR): species is in extreme danger of extinction in the immediate future;

  • Endangered (E): species in danger of extinction while the factors causing them to be endangered are still operating;

  • Vulnerable (V): species at risk of becoming endangered;

  • Conservation Dependent (CD): species whose survival is dependent on conservation activities;

The importance of preventing extinctions 

Plants and animals maintain the health of ecosystems. They work together and produce the air we breathe, clean water that nothing living can do without, food, medicines and much more. They support and enhance our wellbeing.

 

When species become threatened with extinction, it's a sign that an ecosystem is out of balance and not working effectively.  Therefore, the presence of threatened species on King Island tells us that our environment is losing its integrity (wholeness and functionality), that we are losing the very thing that keeps us here, because we aren’t caring for it sufficiently – even though it is in our own interests to do so.  

There is also a moral argument. Do we as a species, (homo sapiens or humans), have a right to knowingly cause the extinction of other living species and the individuals that make up that species?

Key Threatening Processes on King Island (in order of degree)

Land clearance for agriculture and development removing native vegetation
​Fire particularly wildfire
Global warming including loss of predictable food supplies and sea level rise reducing habitat
Predation by introduced species such as feral cats, rats and mice and overabundant native species such as Australian Magpie, Brush-tailed possums and Forest Ravens.
Dieback caused by the root-fungus Phytophthora cinnamoni
Psittacine Circoviral (Beak and feather) Disease affecting parrot species often spread when artificially fed by humans
Vegetation degradation caused by browsing by high population of wallabies and feral deer.

Threatened Endemic Birds of
King Island

KI Scrubtit x Adrian Boyle copy.jpg
King Island Scrubtit (CR) 
Acanthornis magnus  greenianus

Description: Length 11-12 cm; weight 10 gm. Note short,

slender, slightly curved bill, brownish above, with white spot on wing, white throat, yellowish underbelly and blackish narrow subterminal band on tail.

 

The King Island Scrubtit is a subspecies of the Tasmanian Scrubtit.  It lives in tall, old growth melaleuca forest with good understory, foraging high up in the canopy.  Shy and quiet it is hard to find and observe.  

Due to loss of habitat through fire and land clearing, it was listed with the EPBC Act as Critically Endangered in 2002, however, while a number of expeditions surveyed the remaining birds and observed a continued decline in population, no recovery work was commenced until 2019. Their estimated remaining population is between 50-100 individuals.

Observing these birds is not encouraged by the general public due to their tiny populations.

King Island Brown Thornbill (CR) 
Acanthiza apical Archibaldi

Length 10 cm; Weight unknown - about 7-8 g. Slightly darker and with a much longer and larger bill than other brown Thornbill species.  Previously considered a Brown Thornbill subspecies, it is now thought to be a separate species but this has yet to be established.  Shy and quiet, it forages high and is associated with old growth eucalyptus and melaleuca forest and King Island Scrub Complex (a unique King Island vegetation community) with healthy undergrowth.

 

It is listed as Endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act,  but as Critically Endangered in the Action Plan for Australian Birds, 2020, (Garnett and Baker, 2021) with an estimated 50-100 individual birds remaining.

 

Observing these birds is not encouraged by the general public due to their tiny populations.

KI Brown Thornbill x Adrian Boyle.jpg
currawongHobcroft2016.jpg
King Island Black Currawong (CR) 
Strepera fuliginosa colei 

Length  47-49 cm. Large black bird with white wing tips and tail feather tips and strong heavy bill. Smaller than Tasmanian species. Otherwise looks very similar. Bright yellow eye in adults and black eye in immature birds. It has a loud raucous voice and is most commonly observed during the autumn months when they band together in loose flocks and roam further afield. It is a rarely seen, breeding resident that prefers dense scrub for breeding and protection, but utilises open paddocks and other vegetation for foraging.

Once prolific on King Island, it has been in noticeable decline since the 1960's.  Listed as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act in 2015, it has been assessed as Critically Endangered by the Action Plan for Australian Birds, 2020 (Garnett and Baker, 2021).

King Island Yellow Wattlebird (E) 
Anthochaera paradoxa kingi 

Length 37-45 cm.  Australia's largest Honeyeater the King Island Yellow Wattlebird is a KI subspecies and is regarded as being slightly smaller than the Tasmanian species.  The Yellow Wattlebird as its name suggests, has pendulous yellow-orange wattles and a bright yellow belly. Common prior to the 1960s, it has been in a slow decline.  While not listed under the EPBC Act as yet, it has been assessed as Endangered in the 2020 Action Plan for Australian Birds (Garnett and Baker, 2021). 

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Green Rosella_KingIsland_Nov17_0U7A0423.JPG
Green Rosella (E) Platycercus
caledonicus brownii is

Length 32-38 cm.  A Blue-cheeked rosella endemic to Tasmania with the King Island subspecies brownii greener and slightly smaller than its Tasmanian cousin. The only rosella on King Island it is generally associated with forests although can be seen along roadways foraging for grass seeds.  Not listed in Tasmania or the EPBC, it has been identified as Endangered in the Action Plan for Australian Birds, 2020 (Garnett and Baker, 2021). A declining population is being caused by a shortage of habitat and competition for breeding tree hollows, a situation probably exacerbated by the fairly recent establishment of galahs on the island.

Note: All these threatened endemic species are primary target species for recovery under the King Island Bird Conservation Action Plan (2021).

Conserving the endemic Birds of King Island

History

Over the years a number of ornithologists have visited King Island and undertaken surveys, identifying the King Island Scrubtit as Critically Endangered, and suspecting that the King Island Brown Thornbill was probably extinct. But no systematic island-wide searches were taken. Conservation initiatives included the listing of the RAMSAR wetland at Sea Elephant.  A brief moratorium on land clearing slowed the loss of habitat down but this was lifted in 2017 and increased land clearing commenced, some illegally. The Tasmanian Forest Practices Authority now do keep a close eye on what is cleared.

In 2015 the Birds of King Island website was published, with the aim of increasing the awareness of the unique birds of King Island to both local Islanders and tourists alike.​​​​​​​​​

2019 TS Recovery Group Image-4 copy.jpg

Attendees of the King Island Threatened Species workshop, 2019 

Land clearing x Hydro Ridges Rd 2018.jpg

Land clearing on King Island, 2021 x Kate Ravich

​​​​​​​​​​​​​In 2017 the Wings on King program began.​..

In 2018 funds were raised by the King Island Natural Resource Management Group (now King Island Landcare Group) and BirdLife Australia to undertake a systematic search for both the KI Brown Thornbill and KI Scrubtit.  This initial search was undertaken by Dr Matthew Webb and colleagues from Australian National University in March, 2019.  They found several birds of both species in the known sites and importantly they also found new sites where the birds still exist.

Following these discoveries a workshop was held on King Island with stakeholders from all levels of government, local community, BirdLife Australia and several universities, to develop a Conservation Action Plan (CAP) for both species. 

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Strong-billed HE.jpg
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2021 The King Island Bird Conservation Action Plan (KIB CAP)

What is it?

See attached PDF documents:

A) brochure for a quick introduction to the CAP Plan

B) The King Island Conservation Action Plan - in full.

C) 5 year Wings on King Analysis.

All can be downloaded.

The Threatened King Island Birds Conservation Action Plan (CAP) is a direct and coordinated response to the very high risk that, without urgent action, the King Island Brown Thornbill and King Island Scrubtit will become extinct within 20 years. In addition to the focal species and the forest systems on which they depend, CAP strategies and actions benefit other threatened KI birds and their habitats. Ongoing development and implementation of the CAP is coordinated by the King Island Birds CAP Steering Committee and facilitated by BirdLife Australia, with support from the Australian Bird Environment Foundation. See PDF for the full CAP.

The King Island Birds Conservation Action Plan (CAP) Steering Committee was formed in July, 2021, and is comprised of species experts and representatives from government entities, NGO and NRM groups, research institutions and the King Island community. The Steering Committee provides advice and makes recommendations on the conservation needs of the CAP targets and develops and implements the CAP within an adaptive management framework. See PDF Members of the CAP Steering Committee.

To Contact the KI B CAP Management:

Facilitator:  Dr Pamela Fallow

E-mail: pamela.fallow@birdlife.org.au

Community Meeting - April 2021: An open-house community meeting was held to bring the community up-to-date on what we are finding and what needs to be done.  In particular, we included the recent identification of the KI Black Currawong as also being critically endangered, in this meeting. Over 40 people attended and the results were reported in the local King Island paper, the Courier.

Since then several informative articles have been published in the King Island Courier and radio interviews given. A talk to the KI Beef Producers Group in 2022, was well received.

A brochure has been developed and is being widely distributed.

Updated Information to Stakeholders: A comprehensive list of stakeholders from federal government to the local KI council, fire menagement etc who will receive regular updates of the status and distribution of all threatened species on the island. These aim to reduce the possibility of potential habitat clearing or damage.

2022 King Island Scrubtit Conservation Genetics

Undertaken by Drs Ross Crates and the ‘Difficult Bird Research Group’, Australian National University (ANU), samples were taken from several King Island Scrubtits in 2022.  The conclusion from this initial genetic work is summarised in Crates et al, 2023, “Based on our sample, we conclude that contemporary gene flow between King Island Scrubtit subpopulations is unlikely and the risk of inbreeding depression impacting King Island Scrubtit fitness is high.”

Crates, Ross et al,  2023, Genomic insights into a critically endangered island endemic songbird provide a roadmap for preventing extinction. 

 https://www.researchgate.net/publications/373927577 

Crates, R et al, 2024, Genomic insights into the critically endangered King Island Scrubtit. Journal of Heredity, 2024, 115, 552–564 https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esae029

2022-23 Enhancing King Island Brown Thornbill habitat patches for future corridors.

The KI Brown Thornbill (KIBT) was identified as a priority threatened species by the Federal government in 2021.  Funding from the Environment Restoration Fund, Priority Species Grants, 2021 was received in May, 2022, to begin the reconnection of the two largest remaining populations of KIBT, by fencing and replanting.

 

This first stage of habitat improvement and extension was completed in 2023 with the Lancaster and Barrier Creeks and associated remnant forests, now fenced and regenerating from Pegarah Reserve through to the Barrier Creek Gorge.

2023 Building community capacity to restore native vegetation and monitor impacts of restoration effort.

Funding for this project was received from ANZ Seeds of Renewal program in 2023. A fully updated ‘Restoration Kit’ specifically designed for King Island, is now available on the King Island Landcare website, and can be downloaded. https://kingislandlandcare.org.au/publications/

2023 Genetic studies on King Island Brown Thornbill

Samples were taken by Dr Ross Crates and the Difficult Bird Research Group, ANU. The results from these studies are awaiting publication.

2024-2028 Community Action for King Island Bird Recovery

Building on the 2023 project and commencing in 2024 this project is managed by the Cradle Coast NRM and hosted by King Island Landcare. It is extending and improving important habitat utilised by the King Island Thornbill and other threatened endemic King Island birds by working with landholders to fence, extend and regenerate important remnant habitat. 

Migratory Shorebird Conservation

The King Island Coast is an Important Bird Area (IBA) for shorebirds and is under the jurisdiction of Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife.  There are several identified survey areas under the BirdLife Beach-nesting Birds and Shorebird programs.

Ruddy Turnstones:  Nesting in the far northern hemisphere (Alaska and norther Siberia) the rocky shores of King Island are perfect for Ruddy Turnstones to spend the warm months from September to April, feeding amongst beach-washed kelp. Since 1975, the Victorian Wader Studies group has been visiting the island to deploy and retrieve geolocators and collect biological data from Ruddy Turnstones.  They are always looking for volunteers to assist with this work.  Contact: https://vwsg.org.au/contact/

Conservation Actions and Projects

2020-22: Defining and mapping habitat requirements to support the survival of King Island threatened birds -Completed
2021 Ongoing: 
Community engagement and stakeholder awareness
2021 Submission to the Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1919 (EPBC Act)

This project was funded by the Australian Government's National Landcare program and managed by the Cradle Coast Natural Resource Management Authority. It was led by Dr Phil Bell and a team of ornithologists/ecologists.  

Commencing in 2020 it was completed at the end of 2022. The information obtained through this project is foundational information for the KIB CAP committee and has also provided important ground-truthed vegetation mapping for planners and landholders on King Island via TASVEG.

We have identified that an endemic ecological community, King Island Scrub Complex (TASVEG SSK), has been reduced through land clearing to dangerously low levels.  An application to have this community listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act was submitted to the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, in March 2021.  It was listed as Endangered under the EPBC Act in September, 2024, and its recovery has now become a part of the KIB CAP portfolio.

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