Failures in endangered species management

Environment Groups, Scientists Endangered Species Management MR Mar 9
ENVIRONMENT and scientists today highlighted serious conflicts of interest in the structure of Ministerial responsibility, and a failure to incorporate scientific evidence into government decision making[1][1], as reasons underscoring the need for urgent reform in the management of threatened species in Tasmania.
Three recent examples were cited as government failures in endangered species management in Tasmania: 1) the destruction of critical Swift Parrot feeding and nesting habitats by state-subsidised logging operations, 2) the rejection of high-level concerns raised by 33 experts over the impact that the proposed ‘Tarkine Loop Road’ will have on the disease-free status of the Tasmanian devil in the northwest, and 3) the rejection by Minister Llewellyn of the recommendation to protect even the less than 1% of the Bruny Bioregion that was proposed for marine protected areas for biodiversity protection by the RPDC.

The groups are arguing that the Ministerial responsibility for Endangered species and biodiversity should be held by the Environment Minister, not with the same Minister who also has responsibility for logging and resource exploitation, representing serious conflicting interests within the same portfolio.

Birds Australia’s recently launched annual report, “State of Australia’s Birds 2008” labelled the logging of Tasmania’s old-growth forests as “a national disgrace”, with loss of feeding and breeding habitats a key factor in pushing endangered species such as the Swift Parrot towards extinction. Dr Eric Woehler was a report co-author and is Chair of Birds Tasmania. “Ad-hoc planting of trees for Swift Parrots by one branch of government while state-subsidised habitat destruction is facilitated by another, makes a mockery of a ‘strategic’ approach to land management and conservation of biodiversity,” said Dr Woehler. “We want a much more strategic, independent and long-term approach to save our Endangered bird-life than is occurring in Tasmania under the current Ministerial arrangements,” he said.

Dr David Obendorf is a Tasmanian veterinarian, wildlife researcher and member of the Save the Devil Project Stakeholder Reference Group. He has worked extensively on the Devil’s plight and has recently co-authored a research paper on the Devil Facial Tumour Disease just published in the European Journal of Oncology. He is also one of more than 30 experts that recently wrote an open letter of concern about the Tasmanian Devil and the proposed Tarkine Road. “Scientists collectively are very distressed that the Tasmanian Government is considering pushing a road into the last refuge of healthy, disease-free Tasmanian Devils. Minister Llewellyn’s rejection of serious concerns raised by a broad spectrum of experts is not acceptable for someone who is charged with looking after the survival of the Tasmanian Devil.”

“You can’t have the same Minister that is responsible for endangered species and their habitats also responsible for logging – it is a clear conflict of interest. Political considerations have been put ahead of the future of Tasmania’s endangered species for far too long, and Tasmanians and all Australians expect better,” said Dr Phill Pullinger, Director of Environment Tasmania, “It was poor government policy that lead to the extinction of the Tasmanian Tiger, and we can’t allow poor government policy to lead to the extinction of species such as the Tasmanian Devil and the Swift Parrot too. We are asking for a Ministerial restructure so that responsibility for biodiversity is moved to the Environment portfolio where it is much more logical for it to be housed” he concluded.

“Tasmania’s Environment Department and portfolio, along with its Parks & Wildlife Service, have progressively lost funding, split, and spread across several portfolio areas over the past decade,” said Anne McConnell, President of the Tasmanian National Parks Association, “Rather than the current inappropriate situation – Tasmania needs a properly funded, properly resourced stand alone Environment Department,” she concluded.

For More Information:

Dr Eric Woehler,
Dr David Obendorf,
Anne McConnell,
Dr Phill Pullinger,

[1][1] “No amount of scientific backup and so on will alter the facts as they now stand.” Minister David Llewelyn, Question Time 5th March 2009, in response to questioning about the Tasmanian Devil, proposed Tarkine “loop road”, scientific concerns and the DFTD.