City of Kwinana - Bushland Dieback Treatment
Perth, WA

The Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris) is endemic to South-West of Western Australia. The Carnaby’s populations have declined by over 50% in the past 45 years, and as a result they are now listed as an Endangered Species. The Carnaby's is a highly mobile species. They need to move sequentially through the landscape, utilising different habitat types at different times of the year. The decline in numbers of the Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo is due primarily to the loss and fragmentation of habitat.

The City of Kwinana is dedicated to conserving remnant vegetation and ecological corridors as habitat for the Carnaby's. Ecological corridors are areas of local native vegetation linking local biodiversity areas, such as remnant bushland and other natural areas. These Ecological linkages provide important feeding and roosting sites for the Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo.

The city has several bushland spots that are susceptible to the effects of Dieback. Phytophthora dieback is caused by the plant pathogen, Phytophthora cinnamomi, which kills susceptible plants, such as banksia, jarrah and grass trees, by attacking their root systems. Dieback is a symptom of a Phytophthora infection, and affects more than 40 per cent of the native plant species and half of the endangered ones in the south-west of Western Australia. The plants die because they cannot take up the water and nutrients they need.

We will be out at various reserve in the City of Kwinana this month including, Waterfields Drive Reserve, Wellard Reserve and Rifle Range Reserve, performing dieback treatments on the affected trees.