Amazon is investing $3.3 million to help The University of Western Australia (UWA) save the Carnaby’s black cockatoo from extinction.

The three-year Corridors for Carnaby’s (C4C) project will plant 200,000 banksia trees in southwest WA, providing critical habitat for feeding.

Without intervention, the species – found nowhere else in the world – faces extinction. More than half of its population has been lost in 45 years, as its habitat and primary woodland food sources were cleared for farming and urban development.  

The new Banksia tree corridor will stretch across 10 kilometres of land near Mandurah, a coastal city south of Perth. Planting, which begins now, will be complete by 2029.

With their nutritious seeds, Banksia trees are described as being a lifeline for Carnaby’s black cockatoos, flowering at key times of the year when the birds need energy to breed and raise their chicks.

The trees will provide critical habitat and vegetation between the land and sea, with plentiful food, water, and nesting sites for the birds. Additionally, 50 artificial nests and 20 self-cleaning, solar-powered water stations will be installed across the corridor. Key partner organisation Five Rivers Catchment Council has also arranged for nearby farms to provide dedicated water stations for the Carnaby’s to drink.

Amazon’s funding will help support a collaboration between UWA’s School of Biology and the Winjan Aboriginal Corporation’s Aboriginal Rangers Program. The 18-month program combines traditional ecological knowledge with contemporary restoration science, equipping Indigenous participants with commercial seed bank management skills and accredited ‘micro-credentials’ that create certified pathways to degrees and may open up careers in agriculture, horticulture, and environmental restoration.

Amazon Web Services is supporting the project by developing AI-enabled flock identification technology for Carnaby’s Cockatoos. An app currently in development will also enable West Australians to participate in flock identification and population censuses from their own backyards.