Hi,
For those interested in the culling program of the Common Myna in Canberra, a recent paper titled
Understanding basic species population
dynamics for effective control: a case study
on community-led culling of the common
myna (Acridotheres tristis)
Kate Grarock, Christopher
R. Tidemann, Jeffrey T. Wood & David
B. Lindenmayer
may be of interest. Unfortunately the paper is too large for an attachment. The paper can be found at
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10530-013-0580-2
but you will have to pay to read a copy.
A copy of the Abstract can be found below.
Abstract Population manipulation of introduced
species can be difficult and many widespread eradication
or reduction attempts have failed. Understanding
the population dynamics of a species is essential
for undertaking a successful control program. Despite
this, control attempts are frequently undertaken with
limited knowledge of the species population dynamics.
For example, in Australia, concern over the impact
of the introduced common myna (Acridotheres tristis)
has led to community members culling the species. In
this paper, we assessed the impact of community-led
common myna culling program over broad and finescales
in Canberra, Australia. We utilized a basic
population model to enhance understanding of common
myna population dynamics and the potential
influence of various culling regimes. We found a
significant negative relationship between common
myna abundance and culling at fine-scales (1 km2).
However, over broad-scales the relationship between
common myna abundance and culling was not significant.
Our population model indicated culling at a rate
of 25 birds per km2 per year would reduce common
myna abundance, regardless of initial density. Our
results suggest that currently too few individuals are
being removed from the Canberra population, and
natural reproduction, survival and/or immigration is
able to replace the culled individuals. This highlights
the value of undertaking basic population modeling
to assess if potential control measures are capable
of achieving desired outcomes. Our work provides
information for researchers, government and community
groups interested in controlling not only the
common myna, but also other introduced species.
Chris
