Bureaucrats pushed for swift parrot recovery plan to be changed to play down logging threat

The swift parrot recovery plan will be ‘absolutely useless’ and lead to the bird’s extinction if it does not address logging, an ecologist says. Photograph: Rob Blakers

Tasmanian and federal bureaucrats pushed for a recovery plan for a critically endangered parrot species to be changed to remove and play down the scientific evidence that logging was the biggest threat to its survival.

Scientists said the proposed changes to the recovery plan for the swift parrot – revealed in draft versions made available under freedom of information laws – were more focused on protecting the forestry industry than preventing the species going extinct.