Bores lasting effect on landscape

Faure Island in Shark Bay, Western Australia (Credit: Graham Fulton) - Artificial watering points in rangelands are posing an increasing threat to surrounding biodiversity long after the removal of livestock, according to University of Queensland research. UQ researcher Graham Fulton studied the behaviour and impact of 20 bird species on Faure Island in Western Australia's Shark Bay - a nature and conservation reserve which had previously been a pastoral station. Mr Fulton said he found increased population density in the area around a 96 metre deep bore with more than 1600 birds counted. "Livestock had been removed from Faure Island and replaced by re-introduced, rare native marsupials," Mr Fulton said. "However, the birds know where the water is and seek it out which is disrupting the overall biodiversity of the area as well as the geographical concentration of birds across the island. Mr Fulton's research found of the 20 species recorded, 80 per cent showed a shift in relative concentration in the 100 hectares around the bore and across the island. "Some birds, like the crested pigeon and little crow, increased their relative concentration near the watering point while other birds like the silvereye and Australasian pipit decreased," he said.