BREEDING activity for the vulnerable mallee fowl is at its highest in a decade, a recent monitoring report shows.
Monitoring of the 2022-23 mallee fowl breeding season by the Victorian Malleefowl Recovery Group has shown breeding activity was up 18 per cent from the long-term average with close to 25,000 birds recorded nationwide.
While it was positive mallee fowl breeding had increased this past year, the long-term trend still showed breeding activity was declining in the region.
Biodiversity project officer Joseph Douglas said breeding activity was known to vary annually depending on seasonal conditions.
“Monitoring is undertaken by volunteers and the report from this year showed an increase on the long-term average which reflects the seasonal conditions,” he said.
“The breeding activity really
relates to rainfall, so the mallee fowl are taking full advantage of the recent rainfall to increase their breeding.”
Mr Douglas said mallee fowl faced a range of threats that had resulted in them being listed as vulnerable both nationally and in Victoria.
“The threats to the species are broad,” he said. “Historically, land clearing has reduced a lot of their habitat in this region and because they are confined to small reserves they are at risk of genetic decline.
“Some of the bigger concerns are predation from introduced predators like foxes and cats. Competition for resources is also a big issue. Goats and other introduced herbivores such as rabbits compete for the same food.”
Through the Regional Land Partnerships’ Threatened Species project, Mallee Catchment Management Authority and its partners have undertaken work over the past five years for the conservation of mallee fowl in the region.
The project has established over 400ha of habitat corridors linking Malleefowl habitat through revegetation works, undertaken rabbit, goat and priority weed control in more than 13,000ha, and undertook annual fox control as part of the national Adaptive Management Predator Experiment.
