Kangaroo Managment Plan - Territory and Municipal Services - ACT ...

INTRODUCTION
The ACT is located within the extensive geographic range of the eastern grey kangaroo and
has a number of characteristics conducive to the establishment, maintenance and growth of
kangaroo populations. In particular, the types of land uses in the ACT and management regimes
applying to those areas have resulted in the establishment of large kangaroo populations, which
in some instances have high densities in comparison to densities elsewhere (see s. 3.1). Important
questions arising from this include:
a) Are the populations and their densities resulting in unacceptable environmental, economic or
social impacts or raising animal and human welfare concerns?
b) What is the appropriate or ideal density in a particular location?
The latter has to relate to the management objectives for the land in question and is likely, in any
particular instance, to be influenced by a range of factors. The key considerations and issues for
the kangaroo management plan are summarised in Table 1.1.
Table 1.1
Considerations and issues for this Kangaroo Management Plan
Environmental Economic Social
1 Impact of large kangaroo
populations and high densities on
grassy ecosystems (in context of
total grazing pressure). Impact on:
a) threatened grassland
communities
b) threatened species of grassy
ecosystems
c) all pastures (overgrazing and
soil erosion).
………………………………………….....
2 Management of free-ranging
kangaroos in parks and reserves.
1 Positive ecotourism benefit and
part of National Capital image.
………………………………………
2 Negative impacts:
a) rural lands
b) other lands
c) motor vehicle collisions
(injured/dead animals, injury
cost).
………………………………………
3 Commercial kangaroo
harvesting.
1 Positive spectacle of freeranging
kangaroos and contact
with national icon.
………………………………………
2 Kangaroo welfare (e.g. road
injury, inhumane treatment,
attacks by dogs, captive
populations).
………………………………………
3 Welfare of people (road trauma,
kangaroo attacks, controversy
over kangaroo management).
1.4.1 Environmental considerations
Though the potential for eastern grey kangaroo populations to reach high densities in suitable
environments has been recognised for some time, historically, concerns about this were usually
related to assumed impacts on agricultural or pastoral production (Pople and Grigg 1999;
Ratcliffe 1970). The Kangaroo Advisory Committee recognised that management of kangaroos
(particularly enclosed populations) and other grazers might be necessary in areas containing
threatened native species (KAC 1996b).
1.4.1 (a) Excessive grazing pressure
Eastern grey kangaroos are either the dominant or co-dominant herbivores of the grassy
ecosystems habitats that they occupy. The other main mammalian herbivores are sheep, cattle
and horses (rural lands, horse paddocks, and some agistment on unleased land) and rabbits
(across all land uses). Some of these ecosystems are native ecological communities with varying
levels of natural integrity (see Glossary). With the recognition in the ACT of the threatened status
of native grassy ecosystems and their component species and reservation of land to protect
grassy ecosystems, concern has grown in recent years about the impact of excessive kangaroo
grazing pressure on those ecosystems. The communities and the species within them (some of
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