This item appeared in a WILDLIFE ECOLOGY Digest (WED) #28 1/2, I receive.
Could people help the gentleman not export our wildlife by advising him
correctly. He did not sign his name to the article but his e-mail address
appears at the end.
"I live near Adelaide in South Australia and am a member of two government
wildlife consultative committees. In the Adelaide Hills where there is a
mix of native vegetation and orchards. A native bird, the Adelaide Rosella
parrot, Platycercus venustus ocurrs and impacts on the production of fruit
in the orchards.
Orchard owners have tried everything to reduce the population of these birds
without success. The birds are a "protected species" having legislative
restrictions on their removal from the wild. Permits are issued for their
destruction every year.
They are an extremely attractive bird, but my advice is that there is very
little market for such birds as caged birds here in Australia.
The Northern Territory, in Australia, are currently trying to gain approval
for controlled export of the red tailed cockatoo. I am wondering whether
anyone can advise me whether the question of export of the Adelaide Rosella
is worth considering for submission to both the South Australian Government
and the Federal Government as a sustainable use project?
Because this species is a pest species in some areas of Australia, concern
has been expressed to me already that there would be opposition to such a
proposal to export to the US, UK, Europe and Asia where there may be
potential to risk introducing a pest species in those countries.
The motive behind the proposal is to provide the land owners with a use for
the birds to compensate their losses of fruit. This will then provide a
reason to conserve the native habitat which is gradually being lost, despite
replantings of native vegetation.
Please reply to:
end of article.
Trevor Quested & Annie Young
Sydney Australia
Phone. +61 2 9955 6266
Fax. +61 2 9959 4005
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