Dr Sarah Comer is the Regional Ecologist for DBCA’s South Coast Region, a position she has been privileged to work in for over 25 years. Sarah’s work is focused on conservation: implementing threatened species recovery programs, monitoring and management of native species, and integrating invasive predator management, fire ecology and science into management of biodiversity in the region. Sarah is the chair of the South Coast Threatened Birds Recovery Team, which oversees the implementation of recovery actions for Kyloriny.

Kyloriny, the cryptic Western Ground Parrot (Pezoporus flaviventris) is teetering on the edge of extinction. With an estimated population of < 150 birds, Kyloriny occurs in a single wild population on the south coast of Western Australia, and a small number of birds are housed at Perth Zoo. At risk from bushfire and predation from the invasive feral cat, establishing a second wild population is a priority.

Photo: B.Barrett, DBCA

The ecology of the species is not well understood, and the decision to implement a wild-wild conservation translocation was challenging. Taking birds for translocation, with no guarantees of success, was explored in depth through a collaborative assessment of the complex risks, assessing habitat potential in the face of a drying climate and management capacity. With the first stage of this project completed there is optimism that the risk of taking birds from the last population were worthwhile, but ongoing interventions will be required to maximise the chances of establishment of a new population.

At the completion of the first three years of translocation effort project partners have now come together to work through a Structured Decision-Making process that has captured diverse perspectives from conservation professionals, traditional custodians and project partners. This work has mapped a clear path for the next steps in conservation efforts for Kyloriny, which can be approached with some confidence. Here we share some of the challenges and rewards of an adaptive and collaborative approach to conservation of this enigmatic parrot.