Wildlife researchers say they are making the cassowary conservation dollar go further by tracking the birds with satellite tags.
Researchers from the University of Queensland , in collaboration with and , have begun using satellite tags to better understand the movements and habitat association of , as conservation efforts continue for the struggling population.
Lead researcher Dr Hamish Campbell says the population is in crisis and policy makers, wildlife managers, and the local community are at odds on the best way of fixing the problem.
The move to satellite tagging is an attempt to provide a more efficient framework for prioritising management actions for the Southern cassowary, the world鈥檚 largest avian frugivore and a keystone species for the Queensland tropical rainforest.
鈥淎lthough we agree that the present management actions aid in the conservation of cassowaries, we believe that they are being made in an opportunistic and unsystematic fashion. This is resulting in an inefficient use of the limited available funds for cassowary conservation,鈥� said Dr Campbell.
Current management actions include buying back land to create habitat and wildlife corridors, implementing road signage, road fencing and restriction of dog access, removing exotic fruiting plants, the planting of native fruiting plants, and supplementing feeding after cyclone events.
鈥淭he use of modern satellite telemetry is the only reliable method to monitor the movements of these birds within the rainforest. We can now answer ecological questions about cassowaries which were not possible as little as a decade ago.
Dr Campbell said the tagging process was 鈥渞elatively cheap鈥�, compared to other conservation efforts.
鈥淲hen you think about how much a buy-back property would cost in the long-term you get much more bang for your cassowary conservation dollar鈥�.
The findings from the research are published in this month鈥檚 edition of the international scientific journal Endangered Species Research.
Media: Dr Hamish Campbell, School of Biological Sciences (hamish.campbell@uq.edu.au)
