- Swift Parrot nest in logging coupe HP029E. Photo Hugh Bartley.
The crisis
Half the habitat, gone
Critically endangered Swift Parrots have lost half their only breeding habitat on Earth, with native forest logging the primary force behind the loss. Governments know the science. Logging continues anyway. Together we can protect every remaining tree and give the Swifties a future.
- Logging coupe WT003E in Wielangta, southern Lutruwita / Tasmania
Key facts
0
- coupes in Forestry Tasmania's 2026 three-year plan overlap Swift Parrot breeding habitat
2015
- the year Swift Parrots were listed as critically endangered
2010
- last year the state's habitat management approach was reviewed
1
- court injunction needed to pause logging in coupe KD022C, an Important Breeding Area
Reports
The evidence, in full
- Sine 2024 Bob Brown Foundation has released a series of reports documenting Forestry Tasmania ongoing destruction in breeding habitat of the critically endangered Swift Parrot
- Swift Parrot nest in logging coupe HP029E. Photo Hugh Bartley.
Timeline
Two decades of warnings, ignored
- 2001 Wielangta first confirmed as critical Swift Parrot habitat
- 2015 IUCN lists the Swift Parrot as critically endangered and recommends all public-land habitat be placed in permanent reserves
- 2022 Tasmanian Government commissions an "urgent" review of habitat management advice. It is still undelivered
- 2026 Wielangta logged over summer, despite daily Swift Parrot calls recorded there the preceding breeding season
Recommendations
What needs to change
1
End native forest logging
- Secure protection of all Tasmania's public native forests.
2
Protect all breeding habitat
- End logging in every parcel of confirmed Swift Parrot habitat.
3
Take it out of Forestry Tasmania's hands
- Remove all Swift Parrot habitat from Forestry Tasmania's management
4
Go national
- End native forest logging Australia-wide, including all Swift Parrot habitat in NSW and Tasmania.
5
Restore what's been lost
- Restore all previously logged Swift Parrot habitat.
Swift Parrots under threat
Swift Parrot observations and key data
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