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The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010

The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010 The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010 Stephen T. Garnett , Judit K. Szabo and Guy Dutson . CSIRO Publishing , Collingwood , 2011 , x + 442 pages. Price AUD $49.95 . ISBN 9780643103689 ( paperback ). In The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010 , the authors have provided a comprehensive and rigorous synthesis of the current state of knowledge regarding the conservation status of threatened Australian bird taxa. This synthesis follows from similar plans produced in 1992 and 2000, and uses a similar approach and format to these previous plans. For each of the species listed in the plan, information is provided regarding its current status, reasons for listing, comparisons with previous Action Plans, and notes on ecology, threats and required management actions. The summary provided for each species follows a standard format, allowing for comparisons to be made among species in a relatively straightforward manner. In addition to the general information regarding status, threats and recommended responses, the information provided for each species includes detail regarding the level of confidence in this information (through a reliability score), and a summary of the information required to better inform the species’ conservation. Given that much of the information that was fed into the plan was derived from expert elicitation, these confidence limits and knowledge are an important feature. The fact that these research gaps are embedded within the broader conservation plan also acknowledges the important feedbacks between planning, implementation and evaluation, which are fundamental to the effective implementation of nature conservation, but often, in reality, are poorly implemented. The authors have also taken advantage of the ‘time series’ of Action Plans that have now been generated, by making comparisons among the three plans with regard to the changing status of species. This has allowed for some assessment of the conservation ‘wins’ and ‘losses’ that have been made over the last 20 years, which should subsequently allow for some assessment regarding the effectiveness of national conservation programs (e.g. Natural Heritage Trust, Caring For Our Country). The Action Plan for Australian Birds provides a useful tool for making such assessments, given the independent and relatively consistent approach to status assessment. A key challenge to a document such as this is explicitly describing its purpose in how it will contribute to biodiversity conservation. In this, the authors provide some clarity. A key stated purpose is to inform other, more formal listing processes, such as the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. Less formally, and not stated explicitly, this document can also inform regional conservation (where much on‐ground conservation activity takes place), through an understanding of the contribution that regional activities play in the conservation of nationally and/or globally threatened species. However, the management recommendations provided in this plan also need to be placed in this regional context, as the listed threats for a particular species will not necessarily need to be addressed in all regions that the species occurs. Local context needs to be accounted for when implementing such recommendations that are made at a national scale. An additional challenge to the plan’s implementation is the subsequent need for a synthesis of the systemic threats that are impacting Australian avifauna. Taken as a list of independently threatened species, the tasks required to conserve Australia’s avifauna appear overwhelming. However, many species are likely to be (and are) threatened by common, systemic issues (the so‐called coarse‐filter), such that if we can address these common issues, the conservation requirements of a range of species will be met. This does not detract from the central place that species conservation plays in the conservation of biodiversity (as pointed out by the authors), rather it provides an effective means of conserving the enormous list of species that require intervention to prevent their extinction. A key next step in the implementation of the Action Plan, then, is to develop regionally relevant conservation plans that address the key issues impacting threatened avifauna. These comments, however, are not so much criticisms of the Plan itself, but questions regarding how the plan might be used, which, in the end, comes down to the capacity and willingness of conservation practitioners and society in general. Above all, the Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010 is a call to action, to these conservation practitioners, researchers, policy makers and the broader public. The key message of The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010 is that while we have had some conservation successes in the last 20 years, we cannot be complacent. Quite the contrary; in spite of improvements in management and in the status of some species, many species continue to be at least as threatened (or more so) as they were 20 years ago. The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010 should be commended for continuing to highlight the ongoing and increasingly demanding issue of biodiversity conservation in Australia. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Ecological Management & Restoration Wiley

The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010

Rogers, Daniel J.
Ecological Management & Restoration , Volume 13 (3) – Sep 1, 2012
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Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© 2012 Ecological Society of Australia
ISSN
1442-7001
eISSN
1442-8903
DOI
10.1111/j.1442-8903.2012.00670.x
Publisher site
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Abstract

The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010 Stephen T. Garnett , Judit K. Szabo and Guy Dutson . CSIRO Publishing , Collingwood , 2011 , x + 442 pages. Price AUD $49.95 . ISBN 9780643103689 ( paperback ). In The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010 , the authors have provided a comprehensive and rigorous synthesis of the current state of knowledge regarding the conservation status of threatened Australian bird taxa. This synthesis follows from similar plans produced in 1992 and 2000, and uses a similar approach and format to these previous plans. For each of the species listed in the plan, information is provided regarding its current status, reasons for listing, comparisons with previous Action Plans, and notes on ecology, threats and required management actions. The summary provided for each species follows a standard format, allowing for comparisons to be made among species in a relatively straightforward manner. In addition to the general information regarding status, threats and recommended responses, the information provided for each species includes detail regarding the level of confidence in this information (through a reliability score), and a summary of the information required to better inform the species’ conservation. Given that much of the information that was fed into the plan was derived from expert elicitation, these confidence limits and knowledge are an important feature. The fact that these research gaps are embedded within the broader conservation plan also acknowledges the important feedbacks between planning, implementation and evaluation, which are fundamental to the effective implementation of nature conservation, but often, in reality, are poorly implemented. The authors have also taken advantage of the ‘time series’ of Action Plans that have now been generated, by making comparisons among the three plans with regard to the changing status of species. This has allowed for some assessment of the conservation ‘wins’ and ‘losses’ that have been made over the last 20 years, which should subsequently allow for some assessment regarding the effectiveness of national conservation programs (e.g. Natural Heritage Trust, Caring For Our Country). The Action Plan for Australian Birds provides a useful tool for making such assessments, given the independent and relatively consistent approach to status assessment. A key challenge to a document such as this is explicitly describing its purpose in how it will contribute to biodiversity conservation. In this, the authors provide some clarity. A key stated purpose is to inform other, more formal listing processes, such as the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. Less formally, and not stated explicitly, this document can also inform regional conservation (where much on‐ground conservation activity takes place), through an understanding of the contribution that regional activities play in the conservation of nationally and/or globally threatened species. However, the management recommendations provided in this plan also need to be placed in this regional context, as the listed threats for a particular species will not necessarily need to be addressed in all regions that the species occurs. Local context needs to be accounted for when implementing such recommendations that are made at a national scale. An additional challenge to the plan’s implementation is the subsequent need for a synthesis of the systemic threats that are impacting Australian avifauna. Taken as a list of independently threatened species, the tasks required to conserve Australia’s avifauna appear overwhelming. However, many species are likely to be (and are) threatened by common, systemic issues (the so‐called coarse‐filter), such that if we can address these common issues, the conservation requirements of a range of species will be met. This does not detract from the central place that species conservation plays in the conservation of biodiversity (as pointed out by the authors), rather it provides an effective means of conserving the enormous list of species that require intervention to prevent their extinction. A key next step in the implementation of the Action Plan, then, is to develop regionally relevant conservation plans that address the key issues impacting threatened avifauna. These comments, however, are not so much criticisms of the Plan itself, but questions regarding how the plan might be used, which, in the end, comes down to the capacity and willingness of conservation practitioners and society in general. Above all, the Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010 is a call to action, to these conservation practitioners, researchers, policy makers and the broader public. The key message of The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010 is that while we have had some conservation successes in the last 20 years, we cannot be complacent. Quite the contrary; in spite of improvements in management and in the status of some species, many species continue to be at least as threatened (or more so) as they were 20 years ago. The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010 should be commended for continuing to highlight the ongoing and increasingly demanding issue of biodiversity conservation in Australia.

Journal

Ecological Management & Restoration – Wiley

Published: Sep 1, 2012

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