USQ lecturer receives $70k conservation grant
Passionate conservationist and USQ Landscape Ecology Lecturer, Dr Martine Maron, said the funding will model future resource availability for the endangered species. 'The proposal was put together by myself and Greening Australia Victoria, with the grant funded by the Wimmera Catchment Authority,' Dr Maron said. 'The research will look at how best to manage the bird’s habitat resources to ensure that the population does not become extinct.' Dr Maron is a member of the Australian Centre for Sustainable Catchments (ACSC) said the research would be undertaken in rural Victoria and South Australia. 'These are the areas in which the species is endangered, as there are only about 1000 left in the region,' she said. 'There are several reasons why the bird is endangered in these areas; in particular there is a real lack of food availability. 'This is because of the loss of its favourite food sources, seeds of stringybark and buloke trees, due to clearing for agricultural development and it is one of the main issues that we will be addressing. 'It will also provide a great opportunity for USQ and the ACSC to enhance links with rural communities as much of the research will be done on private land.' The project will also investigate the likely future impacts of current habitat protection and restoration efforts on the cockatoo’s survival. 'Steps to protect the cockatoo population could include a combination of tree planting, fire management and protection of existing habitat to make sure that these birds have a viable food resource well into the future,' Dr Maron said. 'It is a step towards ultimately taking them off the endangered list.' USQ lecturer and fellow ACSC member, Dr Armando Apan, is also heavily involved in the project that will also document changes in the amount of cockatoo habitat over the past 60 years. The project will begin in November and continue over the next 12 months. Media Contact: Josh Ada, USQ Media +61 7 4631 1628 or 0403 643 192 
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