Corellas in the Wheatbelt

Published on Tuesday, 9 July 2024 at 11:47:47 AM

In partnership with Cooperative Bulk Handling (CBH) and Avon Regional Organisation of Councils (AROC), Wheatbelt NRM has initiated a three-year project to explore management options for corellas in the central Wheatbelt area.

Management of corellas is important. All but one of the pest species are native to Western Australia, however they have expanded from their original geographic locations and increased in number through landscape modification, mainly due to agriculture.

Flocking in large numbers, corellas negatively impact on agricultural production, community amenity and the environment. Corellas damage electrical cabling and other infrastructure particularly those made of wood, they wreak havoc on sporting surfaces both living and artificial. The birds also damage surviving trees in the environment through pruning and take nesting hollows from threatened black cockatoo species.

This project will take a coordinated management approach across the central Wheatbelt. A variety of management options will be investigated, and some approaches will be selected for Shire Councils and CBH to trial in the region.

An important part of the project is a yearlong survey to capture sightings of corellas, to map their distribution and seasonal movements throughout the area. The survey also provides an opportunity for councils, businesses, and residents to identify damage and attempt to quantify the economic impact of the birds.

The information gathered from trials and from the survey will be used to inform a coordinated management approach to this collective issue.  Your input into the survey is very important. We need your eyes on the ground.

To complete the survey, go to https://arcg.is/10Ln9m0 or scan the QR code pictured.