In response to a request by the Glossy Black Rescue Fund, this report summarizes and assesses community efforts to protect and re-establish Glossy Black-Cockatoo habitat in South Australia. A directory of organizations involved in this program is provided, along with profiles of the aims and activities of each group. It is hoped that this directory will allow individuals wishing to contribute to Glossy Black-Cockatoo conservation to key into existing programs and will facilitate communication between the many participants.

Information concerning habitat requirements of Glossy Black-Cockatoos and the state of the existing resources on Kangaroo Island and Fleurieu Peninsula is presented. Although the current population size does not appear to be limited by availability of feeding habitat (primarily stands of Drooping Sheoak), access to adequate feeding habitat may be limiting breeding success at the edges of the current distribution and preventing re-establishment of cockatoos on Fleurieu Peninsula. Drooping Sheoak stands suitable to support Glossy Black-Cockatoos are restricted to acidic soils on certain rock types and slopes. We therefore recommend only such sites are used in revegetation projects.

There is no evidence that availability of nesting habitat (eucalypt woodland containing Sugar Gum, South Australian Blue Gum or Manna Gum) is limiting the population size, or that revegetation projects are likely to alleviate problems associated with nest sites. We therefore recommend that emphasis be placed on protection of existing nesting areas and providing additional feeding trees in areas where it is hoped nesting will occur in the future. Highest priority is placed on maintaining and re-establishing feeding habitat for current nest sites that have access to less than 400 ha of Drooping Sheoak (A), followed by encouraging breeding on the eastern end of Kangaroo Island (B1) and on Fleurieu Peninsula (B2), and finally maintaining the security of the existing breeding population (B3).

Over 50 revegetation projects involving Drooping Sheoak or Sugar Gum on Kangaroo Island were assessed. These had used natural regeneration, direct seeding or planting of tube stock for the revegetation of Glossy Black-Cockatoo habitat. Where adult Drooping Sheoak was present, fencing out stock led to good seedling regeneration. Planting of tube stock was more successful than was direct seeding, but problems associated with direct seeding can probably be overcome with correct site selection and an avoidance of weed control, as success of all projects was greatest on sandstone slopes and where ground layer vegetation had been left intact. Successful Sugar Gum regeneration was only observed where tube stock had been planted and protected with tree guards.

Information about Glossy Black-Cockatoo habitat requirements and the evaluation of revegetation projects were combined to produce a strategy for protecting and re-establishing Glossy Black-Cockatoo habitat in South Australia. The focus of this strategy is to target funding of revegetation efforts to high priority areas and sites likely to produce good feeding trees. The most cost-effective approach is to erect simple, stock-proof fences that allow natural regeneration and protect tube stock and direct seeding projects. Where planting is required, seed should be collected from local trees, using feeding trees if these are available. The choice between tube stock and direct seeding should be based on the requirements of individual projects, with tube stock being preferred where community involvement is a priority, and direct seeding for large scale projects. Planting should be done as early in the year as possible, with tube stock being planted only once the ground is saturated. Otherwise minimum maintenance is required, and too much care can be counter-productive. Pesticide application is not recommended at any stage.

A small proportion of Glossy Black-Cockatoo habitat is in Conservation Parks, Heritage Areas or Sanctuaries. The majority is on private land, protected by clearance controls. The current policy of the Glossy Black Rescue Fund to approve financial assistance only on sites covered by Sanctuary Agreements ensures the landholder has an on-going commitment to maintaining the area for Glossy Black-Cockatoos.

The Glossy Black Rescue Fund has financed many revegetation projects that would not otherwise have been planted. Funding criteria have been modified since the fund's inception in 1994 to ensure maximum benefit to the Glossy Black-Cockatoo. It is hoped that implementation of the recommendations in this report will again further this aim.

The South Australian sub-species of the Glossy Black-Cockatoo Calyptorhynchus lathami halmaturinus, is now restricted to Kangaroo Island, where its population is estimated to be about 200 (Prime et al. 1997). The principal threat to the species on the island appears to be predation of nests by Brushtail Possums Trichosurus vulpecula (Crowley et al. 1998). However, clearance of habitat is at least partly responsible for its disappearance from the mainland (Joseph 1989). Furthermore, as the population increases on Kangaroo Island, habitat saturation may occur, and further increases will require secure habitat. The main food species required by the Cockatoo is Drooping Sheoak Allocasuarina verticillata, on which it feeds year round (Pepper 1994). The other major requirement is for large nesting hollows, which are found in old eucalypts, particularly Sugar Gums Eucalyptus cladocalyx, but also South Australian Blue Gums Eucalyptus leucoxylon and Manna Gums Eucalyptus viminalis (Pepper 1996; Pedler and Garnett unpublished data). Because of the time it takes for feeding trees to produce useful crops (10-15 years; Pepper 1992), and for eucalypts to reach a size where hollows form (up to 100 years; Saunders 1982), establishment of habitat must precede the expansion of the cockatoo population. In light of this necessity, the Glossy Black Rescue Fund was established in 1993. It has encouraged and funded the protection of 327 ha of existing habitat and establishment of 43 ha of potential Glossy Black-Cockatoo habitat. Many other individuals and groups have been involved in the effort to re-establish Glossy Black-Cockatoo habitat, both on Kangaroo Island and on nearby Fleurieu Peninsula. Until now, no guidelines existed on the most effective method of re-establishing habitat, or the extent to which effort should be put into re-establishing feeding as opposed to nesting habitat. As most of the participating groups intend to continue or even increase their work in this area, a strategic plan is required that will ensure maximum success.

In this report, we produce a strategic plan for the protection and re-establishment of Glossy Black-Cockatoo habitat in South Australia. To do this we describe the current and projected involvement of participating groups, draw on extensive research into the requirements of both Drooping Sheoak and Glossy Black-Cockatoos, evaluate past revegetation attempts, describe tenure and funding arrangements. Our recommendations include both detailed prescriptions for effective habitat protection and revegetation methods and a regional conservation plan to enable effective targeting of resources for habitat protection and re-establishment.