The Department for Environment and Water (DEW) has reported that the results of the first aerial survey of the protected Cape Barren Goose in 20 years has returned some disappointing results.
Principal Ecologist for Wildlife Management at DEW, Karl Hillyard said the survey results revealed a decrease in numbers of the rare Cape Barren geese.
Dr Hillyard said the survey took around 35 hours over two weeks in February to complete and was conducted in the lower Eyre Peninsula, Lower Lakes and Kangaroo Island to provide an understanding of the size and distribution of the rare bird’s population as it appeared to be decreasing significantly.
“Following the aerial survey, the total goose population has been estimated at 7,852 birds, a decline of about 30 per cent compared to the last estimate of 11,272 birds in 2001,” Dr Hillyard said.
“Although it does appear that South Australia’s population of Cape Barren geese has decreased over the past 20 years, it is still much higher than the estimated population of just 500 birds in the 1950s, which led to their listing as a protected species.”
He said changes in agricultural practices were thought to have played a significant role in the reduced numbers over the past 20 years and it was also unclear how the Kangaroo Island bushfires had impacted the species overall, with numbers slightly increasing on the island.
Dr Hillyard said DEW would conduct another Statewide aerial survey during February next year, and a ground survey of the breeding islands during June 2022 to closely monitor the goose population and gather more information on what may have caused the observed reduction in numbers.
He said landholders impacted by geese should call their local NPWS office for advice on management of the species.
