Representatives of Trillion Trees are participating in the City of Swan's community consultation to inform the implementation of a Black Cockatoo Conservation Action Plan across the Shire.
More than 20 conservation groups, landcare groups and residents and ratepayers associations were represented at the first community consultation session in Midland on Tuesday 4 November. Subsequent first round sessions were held online and in Gidgegannup to garner a wide range of community inputs.
The work of Trillion Trees is closely linked to black cockatoo conservation in a number of ways. Earlier this year, over 30 Trillion Trees volunteers took part in a workshop with Dr Simon Cherriman, building 11 large top-entry nest boxes suited to black cockatoos. These boxes are being installed across Trillion Trees restoration sites including one in Hazelmere and one in Caversham.
For more than 45 years, Trillion Trees volunteers have planted over 15 million trees across Perth and the Wheatbelt. These trees contribute to corridors of linking vegetation which are critical for safe flying routes for black cockatoos. Many of the species planted also provide food sources and potential roosting trees for these iconic birds. We know that black cockatoos only travel up to 6km from their roosts to find food, so it is critically important that they have access to a range of native vegetation to provide year-round food sources.
In the Trillion Trees community nursery, volunteers grow up to 200,000 native trees and plants every year - again many of these species are habitat trees for black cockatoos which may be planted in our own restoration programs or distributed among landcare groups, conservation groups and local residents. The community nursery and Trillion Trees grounds also offer a range of clean, fresh watering points for black cockatoos and other birds.
Black Cockatoo Conservation Action Plan Mapping #
In 2023, the City of Swan participated in the Murdoch University program: Keep Carnaby's Flying - Ngoolarks Forever, which resulted in the production of a detailed Black Cockatoo Conservation Action Plan (BCCAP) for the area. The BCCAP consolidates science, mapping, and local knowledge into a roadmap of recommended actions. The next step is for the City of Swan to create an implementation plan – with estimated costs and a practical, measurable action plan to turn strategy into on-ground change.
An important part of the City of Swan's consultation process for the Black Cockatoo Conservation Action Plan involves participants plotting their activities on an interactive map which will become an important reference for collating all projects linked to black cockatoos across the city. This includes projects to protect and improve black cockatoo habitat, provision of watering stations and education initiatives.
The City of Swan has already outlined provisional plans to install eight new Cockitroughs across the region - these are innovative bird watering stations designed in Perth, which offer safe, clean, low maintenance water sources for birdlife in public open spaces.
The City of Swan region plays a critical role in black cockatoo survival, being home to some of the largest and most popular roosts for all three species of endangered black cockatoos - Baudin's, Carnaby's and Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoos. According to Birdlife's Great Cocky Count data, the largest known roost for black cockatoos is in the Gnangara Pines, where up to 5000 birds were recorded!
Black cockatoos are precious and iconic, and regarded with great affection by the people of Perth. Because black cockatoos disperse seeds over long distances, protecting them is essential to protecting healthy ecosystems and maintaining biodiverse, resilient landscapes into the future.
The Trillion Trees team is looking forward to collaborating with other community groups to develop projects to protect black cockatoos across the City of Swan.
Five simple ways to protect black cockatoos:
1. Plant food sources like banksia, hakea, marri and jarrah species
2. Provide a clean, safe water source
3. Protect existing trees from damage or destruction
4. Share knowledge about black cockatoos within your community
5. Take care when driving around wildlife
Click on the link for more details about the City of Swan's Black Cockatoo Conservation Action Plan.