We have known pockets of Gouldians spread across the northern savannahs, so if we can extend these isolated populations out toward each other, eventually we could potentially join them up.


the Long-tailed Finch and has led to around 400% increase in the local study population. These experiments mean that we now have one of the legs for staging a recovery programme. As an ecological rule of thumb, where 90% of habitat is cleared, 50% of its species will become extinct. This means that as the pace of land clearance for agriculture, mines, housing etc increases we are losing more and more Gouldian habitat. Trying to stand in the way of economic progress is like trying to push water uphill, but why can’t we have economic development working in harmony with nature instead of against it? To this effect our scientists are working on projects with a number of mines and a major new irrigation development on the Ord River. First of all they are ecologically mapping the sites before development takes place and then advising on


26 BIRD SCENE


how best to develop the land whilst accommodating the displaced wildlife. So the concept is, where a waterhole is removed, then a replacement waterhole is created off site. Where nesting holes are destroyed then replace them with artificial ones in a local suitable site. Where land is cleared for agriculture, ensure a wide margin of untouched habitat is left around the new paddocks and ensure there is a wide corridor left for movement between the cleared sites and pristine untouched land etc, etc. We have only been doing this for 2 years and have now employed an extra scientist to control and implement this facet of our work. The results of these experiments will be monitored and the process refined on an on-going basis. Over a period of time we will know exactly what effect habitat change has on the Gouldian Finch and to what extent the current remedial


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