State Government bands together with councils and industry stakeholders to form draft corella management plan

There have been a number of methods used to try to deal with troublesome corellas, but the SA Government is putting together a five-year plan to humanely mitigate the issue — and it needs your help.

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A draft strategy to tackle the management of little corellas in South Australia will be made available for public feedback on Monday.

The State Government draft plan was co-designed with councils, state government agencies and industry stakeholders as an attempt to mitigate the abundance of the species and minimise the urban and peri-urban damage.

Minister for Environment and Water David Speirs said the population of little corellas damages crops, recreational spaces, vehicles, electrical wiring and wooden structures, defoliate trees and causes a social nuisance.

“Past management techniques have focused on scaring off little corellas with drones, electric bird deterrents and lights or shooting,” Minister Speirs said.

“These have had some localised benefits, but have done little to address the issue, instead flocks are often simply moved around the state.”

Flocks of corellas have invaded urban areas. Picture: Supplied

A five year plan will address a more unified approach to tackle the issue, as the strategy states ‘isolated management actions undertaken to address little corella impacts in the past decades across SA have been costly and have not resolved the issue.’

The draft plan is supported by decades of research on little corella bird management techniques as an attempt to humanely and strategically deal with the little corella impacts long-term.

The plan acknowledges there is ‘no quick fix to the issue’ but has three principle objectives.

■ A co-ordinated regional management approach by tailoring to the location and the community being impacted.

Stakeholders will undertake practical alterations to infrastructure, agricultural practices, town planning and native landscape revegetation to reduce impacts of little corellas.

This objective aims to simultaneously establish safe habitat areas for little corellas.

■ Share knowledge about the complexity of little corella management as some people experience disruption and property damage by the birds.

A central point for community members to access information and resources for bird management will be made available to reduce the number of complaints about little corellas.

How would you deal with corellas? Picture: Russell Millard/AAP

■ Improve understanding of little corella ecology to learn their movement patterns and behaviours to reduce impacts and preserve populations for future generations to appreciate.

he strategy will trial sterilisation or contraception of the species, and humane destruction methods to determine their effectiveness.

This strategy also aims to estimate the current population size and provide funding for research.

Minister Spiers said the government is now seeking feedback from the general public on the draft strategy and said the DEW will play a key role in co-ordinating the effort between stakeholders to deliver the strategy.

The DEW said they will monitor the five year strategy to ensure actions are undertaken in accordance with best practice approaches, and the success measures will be produced in an outcome report to be published on the DEW’s website within 12 months.

To provide feedback and to read the draft strategy visit yoursay.sa.gov.au.