in defence of introduced species

["Chris Sanderson" <>]

Hi Limosa,

 

I'd have to disagree with what you say - just because we cannot get rid of every one doesn't mean that an effective control program wouldn't be a good idea.  The problem is that for any control program to be effective, you can't just kill the birds - you have to address the reason why they succeeded in a location in the first place.  For most suburban areas that means getting people to seal up cracks in rooves and guttering that are acting as nesting hollows.

 

While animals like foxes are a problem in many places in Australia, in areas where high conservation value is threatened a control program can actually hold them back well enough to allow birds (such as the Noisy Scrub-bird in SW WA) to continue to exist while we try and find a better solution.

 

Common Mynahs are becoming a worse problem in my area each year (I currently have over 100 living in a 1km area), and I can see the day when they are so entrenched that there will be no breeding by any hollow-nesting birds in the area that aren't Mynahs.  Since these are mostly parrots, the effects of this wouldn't be noticed for 30 years or more.

 

Personally I'm watching the trials of the Mynah traps from ANU in Toowoomba and Cairns with a great deal of interest.  If they work in a variety of environments then they could be a real boon to protecting specific areas, even though as you say we are unlikely to ever be rid of them entirely.

 

Regards,
Chris

Brisbane, QLD

 

On 3/7/06, Zimmerman-Clough family <> wrote:

    I do understand and share everybody's hatred of Common Mynas and all the rest, but the truth is we're never going to get rid of them and we might as well just accept them as part of the Australian avifauna. Does anybody really imagine we could ever really wipe out every last Myna, or even most of them? And then what about the Starlings, the Sparrows, the Blackbirds rabbits cats blackberries etc? Even if it were possible, it would cost billions and would be a perpetual battle which would need to involve most of the Australian population. It's never going to happen.

 

    There are far worse threats to the environment and thus to birds, including logging, mining, pollution and overpopulation. I am sure that any one of us in a single day causes far more harm to natural habitats than the most gigantic flock of Mynas or Starlings ever could, via our use of cars, plastics, meat and so on. If we really want to help native birds, we'd do better to start mass-murdering human-beings, not birds. ( N.B. John Howard: this is a JOKE, not a terrorist or unpatriotic threat!)

 

    In the meantime, all we can do is plant lots of native stuff in our gardens and do our little bit to preserve bits of local habitat. And learn to love the bloody Mynas!

 

Best wishes, Limosa