To catch a starling: testing the effectiveness of different trap and lure types

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 183 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Campbell ◽  
S. Cook ◽  
L. Mortimer ◽  
G. Palmer ◽  
R. Sinclair ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Austral Summer ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Ethical Considerations ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Invasive Species Control ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Intractable Problems

Context Worldwide, invasive fauna species present one of the most intractable problems for agriculture and natural systems. Our ability to improve control techniques to combat the global invasive species predicament is constrained within the bounds of both economic and ethical considerations. In south-eastern Australia, the common starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is an established invasive avian pest that is now making incursions into areas of Western Australia (WA) that are currently free of this species. The most cost-effective and widely implemented starling control tool is trapping with live-lure birds. In recent years, the use of live-lure birds has been questioned on both economic and ethical grounds, and consequently alternative lure methods need investigating. Aims To evaluate the effectiveness of different trap and lure combinations for the capture of starlings in western South Australia (SA). Methods Modified Australian Crow (MAC) traps, used traditionally in WA to trap starlings, and Myna traps, originally designed for trapping common mynas (Sturnus tristis), were set during the peaks in starling flocking activity (Austral summer, 2007) using three different lure types: (1) live lure (live starlings); (2) moving water; and (3) acoustic lures. A trapping grid consisting of a single Myna trap with live lure and three MAC traps, each with one type of lure (live, water or acoustic) was established at five sites on the Eyre Peninsula in SA and monitored twice daily for 28 days. Key results Live lures were significantly more effective at attracting starlings into traps compared with both water and sound lures. We also trapped at an additional three sites and showed that Myna traps caught ~1.5 times more starlings than MAC traps when both traps were fitted with live-lure birds. Conclusions Neither moving water nor acoustic play-back lures proved suitable replacements for the use of live-lure birds to capture starlings. The efficacy of alternative lure types may depend on several factors and may include neophobic response(s) to novel signals and also the length of time that an invasive population has been established. Implications We recommend that use of live lures is continued in ongoing starling control programs, and that MAC traps currently in use be modified to capitalise on known starling behaviour. Further research and development of traps that do not contain live lures will improve the welfare of invasive species control programs.

scholarly journals Identifying cost-effective invasive species control to enhance endangered species populations in the Grand Canyon, USA

2018 ◽  
Vol 220 ◽  
pp. 12-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas S. Bair ◽  
Charles B. Yackulic ◽  
Michael R. Springborn ◽  
Matthew N. Reimer ◽  
Craig A. Bond ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Endangered Species ◽  
Grand Canyon ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Invasive Species Control

scholarly journals Perception of giant African snail (Achatina fulica) in urban community from Colombia

2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 8717-8727
Author(s):  
Angie Patiño Montoya ◽  
Sebastian Giraldo Ocampo ◽  
Alan Giraldo López
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Control Model ◽  
Achatina Fulica ◽  
Territorial Development ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
The Past ◽  
Invasive Species Control ◽  
General Community

In Colombia, the control of giant African snail populations (Achatina fulica) has been enforced for the past eight years according to the Environmental, Housing, and Territorial Development Ministry (MAVDT from its initials in Spanish). During this period, the environmental authorities have carried out a series of campaigns for snail eradication and to raise awareness in the general community to involve it in the control of this invasive species. In order to inquire about the perception of the citizens of Cali, Colombia, have of the giant African snail and their role as primary stakeholders in the local control programs, a structured survey was done, and the dependency on the sociodemographic characteristics was established through Fisher’s exact test. 316 people took part in the survey; over 80% of the individuals recognized the giant African snail and their form of control, but over 90% of them did not participate in the control campaigns. The perception of the giant African snail varied noticeably with the respondents’ age and was independent of socio-economic and educational level. In conclusion, it was detected a solid dissociation between people and the actions carried out by the environmental authority. It is recommended to take into account people’s concept of invasive species control in other cities as a fundamental instrument in the construction of a more dynamic and inclusive control model.

scholarly journals Coastal flood risk within a peri-urban area: SUSSEX Inlet district, SE Australia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. F. Asbridge ◽  
D. Low Choy ◽  
B. Mackey ◽  
S. Serrao-Neumann ◽  
P. Taygfeld ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flood Risk ◽  
Flood Hazard ◽  
Extreme Rainfall ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Extreme Rainfall Events ◽  
Hazard Exposure ◽  
Rate Of Increase ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Planning Strategies ◽  
Natural Resource Managers

AbstractThe peri-urban interface (PUI) exhibits characteristic qualities of both urban and rural regions, and this complexity has meant that risk assessments and long-term planning for PUI are lagging, despite these areas representing new developing settlement frontiers. This study aims to address this knowledge gap by modifying an existing approach to quantify and assess flood risk. The risk triangle framework was used to map exposure, vulnerability and biophysical variables; however, in a novel application, the risk triangle framework was adapted by presuming that there is a variation in the degree of exposure, vulnerability and biophysical variables. Within Australia and globally, PUIs are often coastal, and flood risk associated with rainfall and coastal inundation poses considerable risk to communities in the PUI; these risks will be further exacerbated should projections of increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events and accelerating sea-level rise eventuate. An indicator-based approach using the risk triangle framework that maps flood hazard, exposure and vulnerability was used to integrate the biophysical and socio-economic flooding risk for communities in PUI of the St Georges Basin and Sussex Inlet catchments of south-eastern Australia. Integrating the flood risk triangle with future scenarios of demographic and climate change, and considering factors that contribute to PUI flood risk, facilitated the identification of planning strategies that would reduce the future rate of increase in flood risk. These planning strategies are useful for natural resource managers and land use planners across Australia and globally, who are tasked with balancing socio-economic prosperity for a changing population, whilst maintaining and enhancing ecosystem services and values. The indicator-based approach used in this study provides a cost-effective first-pass risk assessment and is a valuable tool for decision makers planning for flood risk across PUIs in NSW and globally.

An integrated risk-assessment framework for multiple threats to floodplain values in the Kakadu Region, Australia, under a changing climate

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 1159 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Bayliss ◽  
C. M. Finlayson ◽  
J. Innes ◽  
A. Norman-López ◽  
R. Bartolo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Invasive Species ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Integrated Risk Assessment ◽  
Invasive Species Control ◽  
Integrated Risk ◽  
Time Frames

The internationally important river–floodplains of the Kakadu Region in northern Australia are at risk from invasive species and future sea-level rise–saltwater inundation (SLR–SWI), requiring assessments of multiple cumulative risks over different time frames. An integrated risk-assessment framework was developed to assess threats from feral animals and aquatic weeds at three SLR-scenario time frames (present-day, 2070 and 2100) to natural (magpie goose habitats), cultural (indigenous hunting–fishing sites) and economic (tourism revenue less invasive species control costs) values. Probability density functions (pdfs) were fitted to spatial data to characterise values and threats, and combined with Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analyses to account for uncertainties. All risks were integrated in a Bayesian belief network to undertake ‘what if’ management-scenario analyses, and incorporated known ecological interactions and uncertainties. Coastal landscapes and socio-ecological systems in the region will be very different by 2100 as a result of SLR; freshwater ecosystems will transform to marine-dominated ecosystems and cannot be managed back to analogue conditions. In this context, future invasive-species risks will decrease, reflecting substantial loss of freshwater habitats previously at risk and a reduction in the extent of invasive species, highlighting the importance of freshwater refugia for the survival of iconic species.

scholarly journals Optimizing invasive species control across space: willow invasion management in the Australian Alps

2011 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 1286-1294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine M. Giljohann ◽  
Cindy E. Hauser ◽  
Nicholas S. G. Williams ◽  
Joslin L. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Invasive Species Control ◽  
Australian Alps

Family Forest Owners' Perceptions on Chemical Methods for Invasive Species Control

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew B. Howle ◽  
Thomas J. Straka ◽  
Mathew C. Nespeca
Keyword(s):  
Unexpected Result ◽  
Family Forest Owners ◽  
Forest Owners ◽  
Cost Share ◽  
Chinese Privet ◽  
Family Forest ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Invasive Species Control ◽  
Multiple Treatments ◽  
Herbicide Use

AbstractFocus group methodology in a field demonstration setting was used to obtain qualitative data on the perceptions of family forest owners relating to treatment efficiency and feasibility of herbicide control methods. Interviews took place on sites where various strategic herbicide treatments were implemented for Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) control using the active ingredients glyphosate and metsulfuron. Forest owners expressed unease about the possibility for post-treatment privet reestablishment due to reseeding or other factors and opinions surfaced calling for selective chemicals or application methods that would spare non-target species. Furthermore, treatment cost effectiveness with regard to timber value, the possible need for expensive multiple treatments, cost-share incentives, and treatment guarantees from herbicide applicators were participant concerns. Environmental concerns surfaced about possible effects of both herbicide use and the invasion of privet on natural systems and an unexpected result was a strong feeling among the forest owners that focus groups are a powerful demonstration tool.

Defining Cost-Effective Salinity Control Programs

1982 ◽  
Vol 108 (4) ◽  
pp. 265-272
Author(s):  
Robert G. Evans ◽  
Wynn R. Walker ◽  
Gaylord V. Skogerboe
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Control Programs ◽  
Salinity Control

Anaerobic digestion for sustainable development: a natural approach

2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 321-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.J. Gijzen
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Wastewater ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Anaerobic Treatment ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Anaerobic Reactors ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Pre Treatment

After the discovery of methane gas by Alessandro Volta in 1776, it took about 100 years before anaerobic processes for the treatment of wastewater and sludges were introduced. The development of high rate anaerobic digesters for the treatment of sewage and industrial wastewater took until the nineteen-seventies and for solid waste even till the nineteen-eighties. All digesters have in common that they apply natural anaerobic consortia of microorganisms for degradation and transformation processes. In view of this, it could be rewarding to evaluate the efficiency of natural ecosystems for their possible application. Examples of high rate anaerobic natural systems include the forestomach of ruminants and the hindgut of certain insects, such as termites and cockroaches. These “natural reactors” exhibit volumetric methane production rates as high as 35 l/l.d. The development of anaerobic reactors based on such natural anaerobic systems could produce eco-technologies for the effective management of a wide variety of solid wastes and industrial wastewater. Important limitations of anaerobic treatment of domestic sewage relate to the absence of nutrient and pathogen removal. A combination of anaerobic pre-treatment followed by photosynthetic post-treatment is proposed for the effective recovery of energy and nutrients from sewage. This eco-technology approach is based on the recognition that the main nutrient assimilating capacity is housed in photosynthetic plants. The proposed anaerobic-photosynthetic process is energy efficient, cost effective and applicable under a wide variety of rural and urban conditions. In conclusion: a natural systems approach towards waste management could generate affordable eco-technologies for effective treatment and resource recovery.

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