blackface or maybe redface

["Philip Veerman" <>]

Aren't we getting just a bit too precious? It is hardly realistic for everyone to care about birds as much as you and I do. I care as much about biodiversity and conservation as any of us but that is an unnatural interest. Isn't it some 200 million years since birds and us had a common ancestor. Why should everyone care that much about birds? Aren't some of us being a little judgemental in seeing people's interest in birds as a reflection of their environmental credentials? Would someone who is an expert in geology or botany have the right to accuse me of having no real "connection to nature", just because they know a lot more about those fields than I do or because I an a city dweller. Sometimes I couldn't give two hoots if I am walking on granite or basalt. Like David, I might know more about birds than them but I don't call them unconnected to nature because their interests and expertise lie elsewhere. To many Aussies, nature is having a park to go to where they can have a picnic, a cuddle, a swim, kick a football or have a stroll among some trees. Biodiversity is more than that.

 

As for "How many of those people in the endless stretch of roof tiles really care about whether the last family group of Fairy-wrens in the suburb have just been decimated by someone's pet cat?" I don't know where the other data is, but in Canberra where we do have real and reliable data, over the last 21 years of data from our Garden Bird Survey, the Superb Fairy-wrens have had a huge and steady increase in abundance. Where is the data to suggest a decline? (OK many other species have declined.) What about if the last family group of Fairy-wrens were taken by the local Currawong, Butcherbird or Sparrowhawk or combination thereof, which is just as likely. Would that be different - because they are birds or because they are natives?

 

I shouldn't need to say it again and I believe that someone involved in wildlife survey should know the meaning of the word, we have been through this before but "Decimation" is of absolutely no consequence in natural populations, unless it is done frequently in short succession. Unless the family group of Fairy-wrens had more than ten birds, which is unlikely, it is not possible to decimate them (as there needs to be at least ten to allow the killing of one).  Reproduction more than replaces decimation. Natural populations suffer greater than 10% (let us say annual) reduction in populations by predation all the time, with no negative impact.

 

Philip