Researchers have found Tasmania’s swift parrot population is declining more rapidly than first thought and the species is “on a trajectory to extinction”.

The five-year study by a team at the Australian National University found the parrots were heavily preyed upon by sugar gliders and recommended breeding areas be protected from logging.

Researcher Dejan Stojanovic said the research found if nothing changed, the bird’s population would decline by as much as 87 per cent.

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“This research clearly shows that the conservation status of the swift parrot is significantly worse than previously supposed and based on current land management practices, things are not going to get any better,” he said.

“We’ve found that current land management practices that reduce the cover of mature forest in the landscape around swift parrot nests makes breeding swift parrots extremely vulnerable to predation by sugar gliders.

“Irrespective of where swift parrots nest on mainland Tasmania, the threat of being eaten by sugar gliders is real and is driving the species on an extinction spiral.”

Scientists estimate the bird could be extinct within 16 years.

“Based on current data, the best information available says that swift parrots are on trajectory to extinction,” Dr Stojanovic said.

Questions about Tasmania’s forest management and its impact on the swift parrot have been raised this week.

Conservationists released Right to Information documents showing logging had been approved in parrot breeding areas against scientific advice.

Australian Greens leader Christine Milne said the revelations could damage environmental approvals being sought from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

“The fact that the Government overrode its own scientific advice to allow the coupes to be logged knowing that this species is on the brink of extinction is absolutely the end of Forestry Tasmania’s bid for FSC certification,” she said.

Dr Eric Woehler from BirdLife Tasmania called for all logging in swift parrot breeding areas to be suspended.

“Do we really want to see another species go the way of the Tasmanian tiger?” he said.

“We can’t afford to be careless with this species and we could so easily lose the species to extinction.”

He said the parrots’ listing needed to be strengthened immediately.

“The Federal Government currently recognises the swift parrot as being endangered, it clearly needs to be up-listed to critically endangered, and a complete reassessment of the management of the species is required,” he said.

A nomination has been submitted to the Federal Government for the parrot to be urgently listed as critically endangered.