Managing the Hooded Plover - Parks Victoria

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Parks Victoria Technical Series No. 4 Managing the Hooded Plover Executive Summary • Counts of Hooded Plovers in Victoria have ranged from 334 to 538 birds, forming 11.1- 17.9% of the estimated eastern population of 3000. More or less conservative estimates of the total population give different values i.e., 6.7- 29.9%. • It is estimated that 88.2% (396) of adults in Victoria occur on Parks Victoria land. This means Parks Victoria manages land holding more Hooded Plovers than any other land manager in Victoria. • Hooded Plovers are widely distributed across Parks Victoria sites, with no Park or Reserve holding more than 9.4% of the State’s population, and no Park or Reserve holding more than 10.6% of the population found on Parks Victoria land. • Those sites holding more than 5.0% of the State population (i.e. 5.7% of the Parks Victoria population) are: Discovery Bay Coastal Park, Eumeralla (Yambuk) Coastal Reserve, Mornington Peninsula National Park, San Remo –Pt Smythe Coastal Reserve, Nooramunga Marine and Coastal Park, Mcloughlins Beach - Seaspray Coastal Reserve, and Croajingolong National Park. • Available survey protocols are reviewed, and it is concluded that the best survey protocol is to add an autumn count to the existing biennial counts, and improve the methodology of the biennial counts. This survey protocol is presented in detail. • Eight sources of threat (risk) were identified, and these acted in nineteen different ways. Most threats reduce reproductive success, with relatively few acting on flying birds. • Some risks are localised while others are widespread. The site-by-site distribution of risks is presented. Across the Parks Victoria estate, four risks have high impacts relative to those of other risks. These are humans, introduced predators, habitat modification and domestic dogs. • Seven kinds of management are available, and they constitute 111 specific management actions. Management techniques are categorised according to sitespecificity and threat-specificity, cost, effectiveness and potential for disruption to breeding birds. The effectiveness of 69.4% (77) of management techniques is unknown because they have not been tested. In total, 29.7% (33) have been shown to be effective, and 0.9% (1) has been shown to be ineffective. Twenty one management II
Parks Victoria Technical Series No. 4 Managing the Hooded Plover techniques would benefit many pairs of Hooded Plovers, and 20 management techniques are applicable to more than one risk. • Apart from vehicle management which is implemented to some extent in every coastal park or reserve, 68 relevant management actions are currently being implemented on Parks Victoria land, and at least one management action is being implemented at 52.1% of Parks Victoria sites. • Management options and their implications are presented for each site. Like the site-bysite variation in risks, suitable management options vary from one site to the next. Predator and visitor management are the most broadly applicable options, and the options focussing on the management of humans, dogs and introduced predators are expected to confer the greatest benefit to Hooded Plover populations. Current management options for habitat and native predators are not highly effective. • The managements presented could be used to stabilise existing populations, or to increase them to pre-1980 levels. The merits of these two approaches are discussed. • Significant amounts of information on the Hooded Plover are unpublished. There is a great deal of published information, but only a small proportion is highly relevant to conservation and management of the species. There is a growth in major published studies, indicating that more information on managing and conserving Hooded Plovers will become available. • A critical review of the available information suggests that 1) populations are declining because of low breeding success, and 2) habitat is likely to limit the amount of breeding. • Fourteen research needs are identified to address the critical information gaps. These research needs are prioritised, and five are deemed to be most important. Of these, only two focus specifically on unknowns about the species (chick fate and factors influencing territory stability); the remainder examine the effectiveness of management techniques. III
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Managing the Hooded Plover - Parks Victoria

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