Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00482:reg:1:p16
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00482
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 1 (pt 16/16)
Character Range: 51330–53476

light pollution). Actions that compromise adult and juvenile survival should also be avoided, such as the introduction of new diseases, weeds or predators.
Actions that remove habitat critical to the survival would interfere with the recovery of Swift Parrots and reduce the area of occupancy of the species. In Tasmania, it is important to retain a mosaic of breeding habitat (i.e. nesting and foraging areas), particularly on Bruny and Maria Islands where Sugar Gliders are not present. Where habitat loss continues to occur within foraging habitats on the Australian mainland, it is important to retain trees ≥ 60 cm diameter at breast height (DBH) or greater, together with at least five trees per hectare from a mixture of other age classes (30 to 40 cm, 40 to 50 cm and 50 to 60 cm DBH) to ensure continuity of food resources over time. If removal of habitat critical to the survival cannot be avoided or mitigated then an offset should be provided.
Surveys
When considering habitat loss, alteration or degradation to habitat in any part of the Swift Parrot's range, including in areas where the species 'may occur', surveys for occupancy at the appropriate times of the year and identifying preferred foraging species remain an important tool in refining understanding of the area's relative importance for Swift Parrots.
In addition, it is also important to note that Swift Parrots opportunistically use areas depending on the occurrence of eucalypt flowering. As a result, the absence of Swift Parrots from a given location at a given time cannot be taken as evidence that that location is unsuitable habitat. Rather, if there are potential food plants present (that include resources such as lerps, not just flowers) then that site may be utilised by Swift Parrots if conditions become favourable. This opportunistic habitat use means survey data and historical records need to be considered when assessing the relative importance of a local area or region for Swift Parrots, in addition to the knowledge that variation in local conditions is a crucial predictor of Swift Parrot presence/absence and site utilisation (Webb et al. 2019).