Male Richmond birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera richmondia)
Photo © Jennifer Broomhall
The Richmond Birdwing Conservation Network (RBCN) is an affiliation of individuals, groups and organisations dedicated to the conservation of the Richmond birdwing butterfly (Ornithoptera richmondia) and its host plants, the Richmond birdwing vine (Pararistolochia praevenosa) and mountain aristolochia (P. laheyana). The RBCN strives to achieve this aim through establishing vine refuges, as well as creating awareness and support for conservation in the broader community.
The Network partners with other like-minded organisations and provides members with science-based information to cultivate and care for birdwing vines.
View the latest Birdwing News. Don’t receive this regular RBCN update? Sign up here!
populations will be linked together to identify potential key corridor locations across South East Queensland. These key locations will then be ground-truthed for mapping accuracy and suitability as vine planting locations. Armed with this combined information, a key map resource will be developed to visually identify the coordinated corridors and direct plans for future vine plantings, facilitating the best possible outcome for the recovery of the butterfly. The support for this critical project has been provided by the Norman Wettenhall Foundation. The Norman Wettenhall Foundation supports biodiversity conservation projects Australia-wide and the RBCN are indebted for the foundations support with this project.Both the ‘Mapping the spread of Dutchman’s pipe vine’ and ‘Modelling the current and future range of the Richmond birdwing butterfly under climate change’ projects have been funded by proceeds of a fundraising event run by the Australasian Society of Zoo Keeping (ASZK). Approximately 25 zoos and wildlife parks across Australia and New Zealand participated in ‘Bowling for Birdwings 2015’ as part of the ASZK’s annual fundraiser. The proceeds were donated to the RBCN to fund the recovery of the butterfly species.
If you would like to participate in these projects, please register your interest at
Dr Don Sands (27 February 2015)
Inbreeding depression in the Richmond birdwing and several other Australian butterflies was first demonstrated by Albert Orr using captive-rearing experiments (Orr 1994). Albert’s experiments helped explain why isolated populations disappeared after several years of apparently healthy breeding by birdwings, in places where extirpations could not be attributed to the shortage or quality of food plant vines. Recently, evidence has been obtained that this inbreeding problem may be overcome by releasing stocks of outcrossed (‘genetically invigorated’) immature birdwing stages into habitat fragments (Gynther, Seal & Sands, pers. obs.). While this approach may be successful at the selected locations in the shorter term, over the longer term habitat corridors to link breeding colonies will be needed to encourage the natural movement of birdwings, to enable healthy genetic mixing between colonies and so prevent inbreeding depression.
A ‘corridor concept’ to overcome inbreeding in the Richmond birdwing began in August 2005 when Brisbane Koala Bushland’s Community Group, in partnership with what was then the Richmond Birdwing Recovery Network, planted 30 birdwing butterfly vines (Pararistolochia praevenosa) along Tingalpa and Buhot Creeks. The concept included plans for a corridor to link Neville Lawrie Reserve, Daisy Hill State Forest and Venman’s Bushland National Park across boundaries of Brisbane and Redland City Councils (see The Regenerator, Brisbane City Council, Summer 2005-6, p. 14). A basic network of corridors proposed by Sands and New (2013) was based on the historic distribution of the birdwing from Maryborough, Queensland to Grafton in New South Wales and west to the Great Dividing Range at Toowoomba. By adding the coastline, this distribution is enclosed by a sub-rectangular area ‘framing’ patches of habitat near the coast and on the lower ranges. The design of a ‘Coordinated Corridors’ plan, aims to connect existing lowland birdwing breeding habitats and excludes temporary mountain birdwing habitats with the food plant P. laheyana, localities where this vine fails to sustain breeding populations.
In November 2013, Simon Baltais, then President of WPSQ, sent out a letter of appeal for donations to purchase 1000 high-quality birdwing butterfly vines for planting at specially chosen locations in corridors where they could be carefully maintained and the food plant numbers would be sufficient to contribute to the recovery of birdwing populations. The response exceeded all expectations and the funds donated provided an opportunity to initiate the Coordinated Corridors plan via WPSQs ‘1000 Vines Project’. Sites initially chosen included Burleigh-Tallebudgera Creek as the southern corridor, Foam Bark Gully, Fig Tree Pocket as the central corridor for Brisbane, Witta Nature Reserve at Maleny, and Pomona-Boreen Point as the northern corridor. Prolonged drought delayed plans for completing the timetable for planting in 2014 but approval was obtained from WPSQ to extend the project and complete planting in early 2015. The planting of 200 vines at Witta has been held over until easier access is available and plant surveys can be undertaken. Detailed site profiles are being prepared as valuable records and use in planning further supplementary corridors, as well as the future preparation of a revised recovery plan.
Vines were planted in each Corridor, while Supplementary sites were added to the original plan as opportunities and available vines allowed. By March 2015, 1180 vines were planted at selected sites as follows:
Pomona-Boreen Point Corridor
David Fleay Wildlife Park, West Burleigh. Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service
Foambark Gully Richmond Birdwing Corridor, Fig Tree Pocket
Three private properties, south of Fig Tree Pocket Rd. Partnerships & collaboration: Fflur Collyer, Land for Wildlife (BCC).
Burleigh Heads National Park, Flagship Site. Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service
Supplementary Series
References
Acknowledgements
For the range of activities including fundraising and assistance with planting, I thank Sam Morris, Des Boyland, Niki & Vernon Hill, Sylvia Alexander & Ian Yeo, Cherrell Hirst, Fflur Collyer, Phillip Moran and members of Noosa & District Landcare, Mark Pattenaude, Jacqui Seal, Paul Grimshaw, Cat Shaw, Peter Maddering, Paul Scott, Josh Hansen, Gary Einam, Kathleen Doody, Brent Smith, Dave Harper, Julia Blumhardt and anonymous donors.
Conservation Volunteers Australia planting birdwing vines which will hopefully attract the birdwing butterfly back to Brisbane’s western suburbs. Photo © Greg Siepen
Community workshops and field days
Several sites and wildlife corridors have been identified in south-eastern Queensland that are vitally important to the survival of the Richmond birdwing vine and butterfly. These sites are in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, western suburbs of Brisbane and Currumbin area of the Gold Coast. Sites in northern NSW have yet to be determined.
Areas will be cleared of weeds, sometimes with the assistance of Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA), and groups of up to 30 vines will be planted and maintained at each site.
The Network is partnering with the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection to carry out experimental field trials to overcome inbreeding depression. Critical breeding work as part of this project is being carried out at David Fleay Wildlife Park. Successful first releases have been made in the Cootharaba area, and two other experimental sites are now active. Future monitoring is needed to determine if butterfly populations become established at these sites.
Pupae at David Fleay Wildlife Park
Photo © Jenny Thynne
For more information on WPSQ’s other projects, email or phone +61 (7) 3844 0129.
