The costs and benefits of birds in almond orchards in Victoria

Transcription

1 The Setts Mildura, Victoria October 2010 The costs and benefits of birds in almond orchards in Victoria Shannon Triplett Charles Sturt University

2 Charles Sturt University and Select Harvests Managing agricultural landscapes to maximise production and conservation outcomes: the case of the Regent Parrot Aims: 1. Identify and examine the relationships between key habitat and food resources and selected groups of birds (e.g. regent parrot) in landscapes with varying degrees of land-use 2. Examine the foraging behaviour of birds in agricultural landscapes to determine the potential for species to provide ecosystem services or contribute to crop damage 3. Develop land-use options to maximise biodiversity and production gains under proposed agricultural land-use scenarios 4. Establish long-term monitoring protocols to assist in future research to assess the conservation and production implications of proposed land-use changes

3 Charles Sturt University projects Managing agricultural landscapes to maximise production and conservation outcomes: the case of the Regent Parrot PhD 1: The costs and benefits of birds in almond orchards in Victoria by Shannon Triplett PhD 2: The role of food resources in driving habitat occupancy and movement by Regent Parrots by John McLaughlin Post Doc: Designing landscapes to deliver ecosystem services to agriculture (yet to commence) Photo Hugh McGregor

4 Charles Sturt University projects Other projects currently involving almond orchards Research: Integrating the conservation and ecosystem-service value of Australia s catchments by Dr Gary Luck PhD: Pollination services in agricultural landscapes: Investigating the relationship between Australian almond pollinators and their foraging landscape by Manu Saunders

5 The costs and benefits of birds in almond orchards in Victoria The Setts Mildura, Victoria October 2010

6 Bid damage in horticulture Bird damage to Australian nut industry in 2006 estimated at 22% of the total crop, equating to $48.9 million dollars (Tracey et al., 2007)) Studies show bird damage is temporally and spatially unpredictable, and caused by many species (Bomford & Sinclair, 2002) Landscape features may influence the species of birds present and damage levels (e.g. neighboring trees and other vegetation)

7 Ecosystem services Birds regarded as pests during the almond ripening season, may be considered an asset by farmers if any potential benefits are realized (e.g. pest control) Ecosystem services = benefits obtained by humans from ecological functions (Sekercioglu, 2006) Waste nut removal may provide savings in time and money An appreciation of the beneficial role of birds by producers may aid conservation

8 Background into Dis-services Primary damage Eating nuts Secondary damage Knocking nuts from trees Down-grading of quality Services Waste nut removal Decrease invertebrate pest incidence Decrease disease incidence = Costs = Benefits

9 Aims 1. Quantify the cost of bird damage during the ripening season in almond orchards 2. Investigate the influence of key landscape features on the distribution and extent of bird damage in almond orchards 3. Explore the relationship between crop development, bird physiology and foraging behaviour in almond orchards 4. Explore a possible beneficial role of birds in almond orchards with the provision of an ecosystem service

10 Preliminary results from ripening season The Setts Mildura, Victoria October 2010

11 Bird survey methods Surveyed each month between October 2009 and March 2010 Murray River Conducted by driving vehicle around periphery of a block Recorded all birds in block suspected of causing damage Transect 1 low Total of 90 transects performed Transect 4 moderate Blocks ranked for bird damage intensity by Select Harvests as high, moderate, low Transect 2 moderate Transect 3 high

12 Study species Transect surveys Flock estimates Behaviour observations Red-rumped parrot Blue bonnet Mulga parrot Red-rumped parrot Blue bonnet Mulga parrot Mallee ringneck Mallee ringneck Mallee ringneck Yellow rosella Yellow rosella Yellow rosella Regent parrot Regent parrot Regent parrot Corella sp. Galah Galah Galah Sulphur-crested cockatoo Sulphur-crested cockatoo Corvid sp. Little raven Little raven Little raven Australian raven Malleefowl

13 Density of bird species during ripening Birds/km Mallee ringneck Yellow rosella Regent parrot Galah Corvids 0 Oct-09 Nov-09 Dec-09 Jan-10 Feb-10 Mar-10 Month

14 Bird density during ripening Birds/km Oct-09 Nov-09 Dec-09 Jan-10 Feb-10 Mar-10 Month Wandown Liparoo Carina Boundary Bend

15 Bird density and damage intensity 25 Average birds/km High Moderate Low Boundary Bend Carina Liparoo Wandown Transect

16 Regent parrot density and damage at Liparoo Average birds/km Regent parrots/km High Moderate Low Transect Transect

17 Bird density and damage at Liparoo Landscape features and habitat will be investigated as possible links to damage intensity Murray River breeding colonies, roosting grounds Murray River Transect 1 low Neighbouring crops food resources Native vegetation corridors, remnants, woodland Transect 4 moderate Transect 2 moderate Transect 3 high

18 Species damage profiles Galah Regent parrot

19 Species damage profiles Mallee ringneck Yellow rosella

20 Summary No previous studies have investigated both the costs and benefits of animals considered agricultural pests. Photo Hugh McGregor

21 Acknowledgements Supervisors: A/Prof Gary Luck, Dr Peter Spooner This project is funded by an Australian Government ARC scholarship, Select Harvests Limited top-up scholarship, and Gould League of NSW scholarship References Tracey, J. P., Bomford, M., Hart, Q., Saunders, G., & Sinclair, R. (2007). Managing bird damage to fruit and other horticultural crops. Canberra: Bureau of Rural Sciences. Bomford, M., & Sinclair, R. (2002). Australian research on bird pests: impact, management and future directions. Emu, 102(1), Sekercioglu, C. H. (2006). Increasing awareness of avian ecological function. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 21(8),