More than 1000 Canberrans have petitioned the ACT government to take stronger action against invasive Indian myna birds.
However, ACT Environment Minister Rebecca Vassarotti said the government did not have plans to develop a specific management plan for the birds as their numbers were declining in ACT woodlands.
The primary petitioner and the president of Canberra's Indian myna action group Bill Handke said it had been two years since Ms Vassarotti declared Indian mynas a pest animal, but actions were not taken to manage the pest on public lands, schools and shopping centres.
Mr Handke started a community trapping program in 2006 where traps were given to people who were concerned about mynas evicting Canberra's native rosellas out of nesting boxes in their backyards.
"They take over nests. They will kill the chicks in those nests, break out the eggs etc. But they can be very aggressive and exclude birds from areas but also they [are] noisy and so the public amenity loss is quite significant," Mr Handke said.
"They foul up backyards and patios. Their raucous calls, especially when they are roosting, is quite bad."
Mr Handke said the trapping program had a very good local impact where the number of mynas in people's backyards declined.
"What we do has no impact on the public lands," Mr Handke said.
"Backyard trapping doesn't really have a significant impact on mynas that are hanging around schools or the nature reserves."
Labor MLA Marisa Paterson is sponsoring the petition, which is pushing for the adoption of the precautionary principle by the government.
The United Nations Global Compact says the precautionary principle means to implement measures that prevent a possible risk when there is a lack of full scientific certainty.
Mr Handke hoped to see the ACT government develop myna control plans targeting commercial and public areas with a high concentration, which would work alongside the community trapping program.
Ms Vassarotti said the ACT government had assessed the potential impact of common mynas on the environment and agriculture.
"The conservator of flora and fauna and conservation officers have indicated that current evidence does not support the view that common mynas are contributing to the decline of threatened native bird species or significantly affecting agricultural production in the ACT," Ms Vassarotti said.
An ACT government spokesperson said the government was grateful for the community effort in protecting and conserving Canberra's birdlife.
"The government is currently developing the ACT's invasive species management plan, which will address invasive species challenges and include monitoring for any future impacts of mynas," the spokesperson said.
Mr Handke said volunteers were "more than happy to do work hand-in-glove with the government" to supply traps to schools, myna hotspots, cafes and business areas.
He said this could only be achieved if the government introduced a concerted program to identify hotspots and act as conduits for advice to businesses about how to manage mynas.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.
