Professor Peter Doherty is one of Australia's most respected scientists. Originally trained as a vet, he took a PhD in 1970 before beginning research into the human immune system and how immune cells protect against viruses. This work with colleague Rolf Zinkernagel, ultimately saw him awarded the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He was made Australian of the Year in 1997, is a National Trust Living National Treasure, a Companion of the Order of Australia, and has received countless prestigious international honours.
Based at Melbourne University's Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Professor Doherty lectures widely and has also commenced a writing career, beginning with The Beginner's Guide to Winning the Nobel Prize, published in 2005.
A wonderful speaker, he combines great erudition with engaging wit. At the recent Melbourne Writers Festival, Professor Doherty spoke about his latest book, Sentinel Chickens. He also sent this message to supporters of the Orange-bellied Parrot.
Whether we look at the natural world and
its avian inhabitants through the lens of the avid bird watcher, the concerned
environmentalist, the religious believer who is obsessed with the magnificence
of creation, or the data sets analysed by professional scientists, it is clear
that the loss of any unique species is a matter of grave concern.
In the deep
past, many such extinctions have occurred as a direct result of dramatic
climate events causing habitat change, or rainfall loss, that made life
untenable. Other extinctions have followed the introduction, or evolution, of
predators (rats) or disease, perhaps (as occurred with avian malaria in Hawaii)
as a consequence of human activities.
The
orange-bellied parrot has become a symbol of avian species loss in contemporary
Australia. We need to know how many survive, where these birds are and whether
habitat (or other changes) that result from our activities are causing their
decline. That requires careful
observation and analysis.
If a cause can indeed be identified, that may well
come into direct conflict with established economic interests. Changing that
dynamic is likely to require broad community involvement and political action. The
fate of the orange-bellied parrot is, in some senses, a test case for what is
to come.
A number of threats to birds - and how birds help us discover more about our own health - are
discussed in Peter Doherty’s 2012 book Sentinel
Chickens: what birds tell us about our health and the world (Melbourne University Press).