Cockatoo Habitat Bulldozed: Offsets Won't Work, Say Experts

Developers in Perth are planning to clear endangered banksia woodlands, a vital habitat for threatened Baudin's and Carnaby's black cockatoos, to make way for housing developments. Conservationists are strongly opposing these plans, citing significant concerns that the proposed biodiversity offsets will not adequately compensate for the environmental damage.

Leading restoration expert Professor Kingsley Dixon stated that attempting to replant the banksia ecosystem within a different type of protected woodland is unlikely to succeed. He highlighted that replicating the complex diversity of the cleared sites, which took nature centuries to establish, is an immense challenge. Prof. Dixon noted that even with extensive efforts over 40 years, restoring a single hectare of banksia woodland from scratch has proven nearly impossible.

The proposed offsets involve creating banksia woodlands within tuart woodlands, but experts argue the soil and canopy types are incompatible. This mismatch raises fears of a net loss of banksia woodland, pushing it closer to critically endangered status. Conservation groups criticize the overreliance on offsets, suggesting they have become a tool to facilitate development rather than a last resort for environmental protection.

While one housing development has been approved by the federal environment department with rigorous offset conditions, two others are still under assessment. Officials maintain that federal offset policy permits offsets on public land. However, conservationists urge stricter regulations to prevent offsets from accelerating habitat destruction and emphasize the priority should be the protection of remaining vulnerable ecosystems.