Short-term sustainable collection of eggs and nestlings of the endangered Carnaby’s cockatoo (Zanda latirostris)

Context Extinction rates for Australian species are a major concern that requires new approaches to conserving species. Sustainable collecting, which is taking individuals of a species from the wild without affecting overall population numbers, has emerged as one method of placing a value on endangered species, that can help protect them from extinction. Aims We evaluated a case study to sustainably collect an endangered cockatoo species, Carnaby’s cockatoo (Zanda latirostris). Methods A 3-year program was conducted where Carnaby’s cockatoo eggs or nestlings were collected from the wild, hand reared and a sub-set sold on the domestic aviculture market to drive down prices and reduce incentives for poaching. Key results Fledging success of the source population was not significantly different from unharvested populations (χ2 = 3.02, d.f. = 2, P = 0.221). The unit market price of Carnaby’s cockatoos decreased from AUD4500 in 1996 to AUD2800 in 2018 (AUD1658 in 1996 dollar terms adjusted for inflation) following the program (P < 0.001). There were other possible explanations for the fall in market price, which occurred concomitant with this study, and limited data available on poaching showed no difference in the number of poaching cases before and after the program. Conclusions We demonstrated that Carnaby’s cockatoos can be sustainably harvested from the wild in the short-term, but only with the benefit of sound knowledge of the species’ ecology. Implications This program is the first study to show that an endangered cockatoo species can be successfully collected from the wild.