Review of the management of feral animals and their impact on ...

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Section 7 Key problems <strong>and</strong> opportunities for investment This chapter identifies gaps <strong>and</strong> opportunities where fur<strong>the</strong>r investment by <strong>the</strong> Australian Government would improve biodiversity conservation. The potential to identify gaps was limited by a lack <strong>of</strong> information about <strong>the</strong> <strong>impact</strong>s pests are having on biodiversity. The distribution <strong>of</strong> pests is well known, <strong>and</strong> general comments about <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>impact</strong>s can be made, but far more research is needed on <strong>the</strong> precise nature <strong>of</strong> those <strong>impact</strong>s. For example, foxes <strong>and</strong> cats are known to prey on a wide range <strong>of</strong> native <strong>animals</strong>, including various rare species, but it is <strong>of</strong>ten not known if <strong>the</strong> predation is substantial enough to pose a serious threat. Large assumptions are <strong>of</strong>ten made from small-scale studies. In a very significant study completed in 2005, foxes, pigs <strong>and</strong> dingoes were identified as posing a very serious threat to three endangered freshwater turtles in sou<strong>the</strong>rn Queensl<strong>and</strong>. But nothing is known about <strong>the</strong> <strong>impact</strong>s <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se same pests on o<strong>the</strong>r rare freshwater turtles elsewhere in Australia, for example <strong>the</strong> endangered Gulf snapping turtle (Elusor lavarackorum). Funding bodies prefer to spend money on <strong>management</strong> ra<strong>the</strong>r than research, but without research to guide <strong>the</strong> <strong>management</strong>, funds are likely to be wasted on <strong>the</strong> wrong <strong>management</strong> actions. ‘Lack <strong>of</strong> research’ is a recurring complaint made by pest managers trying to save biodiversity in <strong>the</strong> Rangel<strong>and</strong>s. This chapter has two sections: one that identifies pest <strong>animals</strong> which warrant more attention in certain regions; <strong>and</strong> ano<strong>the</strong>r that identifies social <strong>and</strong> industry issues that require more government attention’. 7.1 Emerging <strong>and</strong> growing problems This study found that many <strong>feral</strong> species are exp<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>the</strong>ir range within <strong>the</strong> Rangel<strong>and</strong>s (see Table 15). Some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> range expansions are very limited in extent (for example black rats into Kakadu, pigs into <strong>the</strong> Arafura Swamp <strong>and</strong> new catchments) <strong>and</strong> some are <strong>of</strong> little consequence to biodiversity (house gecko, flowerpot snake). Range expansions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> listed invertebrates are significant but <strong>the</strong>y fall outside <strong>the</strong> scope <strong>of</strong> this study so <strong>the</strong>y are no considered fur<strong>the</strong>r. The range expansions identified as significant for this study are as follows: • One-humped camel – Spreading widely in <strong>the</strong> arid zone • Buffalo – spreading in east Arnhem L<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Victoria River Basin, NT • Feral cow – penetrating remote regions in <strong>the</strong> Kimberly, NT • Fallow deer – new <strong>feral</strong> populations appearing in NSW & QLD • Chital deer – new <strong>feral</strong> populations appearing in NSW & QLD • Red deer – new <strong>feral</strong> populations appearing in NSW & QLD • Rusa deer – new <strong>feral</strong> populations appearing in NSW & QLD • Cane toad – spreading in <strong>the</strong> NT <strong>and</strong> soon into WA • Tilapia – colonising new rivers in QLD • Blue acara – newly naturalised in north QLD • Midas cichlid – newly naturalised in north QLD • Burton’s haplochromus – newly naturalised in north QLD 156
Table 17 Feral <strong>animals</strong> that are exp<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>the</strong>ir range in <strong>the</strong> Rangel<strong>and</strong>s. Spreading within <strong>the</strong> Rangel<strong>and</strong>s Black Rat Pig One-humped Camel Swamp Buffalo Feral Cow Fallow Deer Chital Deer Spotted Turtle-dove Nutmeg Mannikin Common Myna House Gecko Flowerpot Snake Cane Toad Tilapia Honeybee Big-headed Ant Where Scale <strong>of</strong> problem NT (Kakadu) NT (Top End) WA, NT NT (Arnhem L<strong>and</strong>) WA (Kimberley) NSW, Qld NSW, Qld Alice Springs Cape York Peninsula NSW QLD, NT QLD, NT NT QLD NT (Top End) NT (Kakadu, Alice Springs) 157 Low (?) Locally high High Locally high High Medium High Low Low (?) Medium Low Low High High Medium Medium New to <strong>the</strong> Rangel<strong>and</strong>s Where Scale <strong>of</strong> problem Red Deer Rusa Deer Barbary Dove Blue Acara Midas Cichlid Burton’s Haplochromus Guppy NSW, QLD NSW, QLD Alice Springs QLD QLD QLD QLD High High Low Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Insufficient information Where Scale <strong>of</strong> problem Blackbuck Spreading in QLD? Unknown Some experts reported anecdotal evidence to suggest that foxes are spreading north (see Section 3), but <strong>the</strong> evidence for this is unconvincing, <strong>and</strong> was rejected by most experts. Occasional foxes do w<strong>and</strong>er north, <strong>and</strong> have done so in <strong>the</strong> past, but <strong>the</strong>re is no compelling evidence <strong>of</strong> populations spreading north. The list <strong>of</strong> species spreading north is dominated by deer <strong>and</strong> fish. Camels <strong>and</strong> buffalo are both exp<strong>and</strong>ing <strong>the</strong>ir range <strong>and</strong> increasing in population density, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>y are also considered in detail. The spread <strong>of</strong> cane toads across nor<strong>the</strong>rn Australia is a very serious issue, but <strong>the</strong>re appears to be virtually no available <strong>management</strong> techniques to prevent or mitigate <strong>the</strong>ir spread (see Section 5), <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>y are not considered here fur<strong>the</strong>r, since <strong>the</strong>y do not represent an opportunity for government investment. Apart from those pests which are exp<strong>and</strong>ing in range, <strong>the</strong>re are several wellentrenched species which require fur<strong>the</strong>r attention. These are: • Rabbits preventing Mulga regeneration in South Australia
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Review of<
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Contributors Andrew Norris Pest Ani
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3.7.36 Common Myna (Acridot
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Table of figures F
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Section 2 Introduction Feral <stron
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Amanda Dimmock, QD
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Section 3 A status review o
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3.4 Birds Thirteen (or 14) species
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Information on the
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Summary A rodent that contributes t
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Dingoes can become a threat to wild
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The significance of</strong
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macropods and b<st
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^Lasiorhinus krefftii North
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Perceived threat Geopsittacus occid
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conservation areas. It is less clea
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Table 8 Rare species found in <stro
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Competition Several examples are re
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In truth, camels do substantial dam
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the Tanami. Buffal
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The situation today Buffalo numbers
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qualify under IUCN criteria as enda
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3.7.16 Goat (Capra hircus) Summary
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Drakonorchis drakeoides Hinged Drag
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3.7.19 Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) Su
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Impacts Much is known about <strong
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Distribution Ostriches have won <st
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nest in tree hollows along
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Distribution The skylark is found i
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Distribution The blackbird is wides
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Land, and<
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have been translocated to o
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esources. Significant investment in
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many native species (Clarke et al.
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spread across the
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Section 4 Legislative framework 4.1
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protection, as long as it falls wit
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Native Vegetation Conservation Act
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ehabilitate existing native vegetat
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suppression, which is the</
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al. 1986, 1987). The use of
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5.1.4 Mustering Commercial musterin
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etal. (1997) found that many native
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the vaccine <stron
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Where possible, integration <strong
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strategy, relative cost-effectivene
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Fencing Feral buffalo have a reputa
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5.3 Management of
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Summary of <strong
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time comes for the
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Summary of <strong
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Individual tracking Tracking is a l
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SA - Currently cats are not widely
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Method of control
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Aerial shooting Aerial shooting can
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Summary of <strong
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Page 116 and 117: ensuring effective treatment <stron
Page 118 and 119: the lower cost, wi
Page 120 and 121: 5.8 Management of
Page 122 and 123: conservation value rathe</s
Page 124 and 125: effort on the cont
Page 128 and 129: follow transect lines, one kilometr
Page 130 and 131: as a refuge from predators. Removal
Page 132 and 133: Summary of <strong
Page 134 and 135: was completed it was the</s
Page 136 and 137: warren structure amenable to recolo
Page 138 and 139: Poisons Traditionally, strychnine,
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Page 144 and 145: Method of control
Page 148 and 149: technique can allow for cost-effect
Page 152 and 153: In South Australia, between 30 <str
Page 156 and 157: % respondents 100% 90% 80% 70% 60%
Page 158 and 159: a) b) Figure 3. a) Extent o
Page 160 and 161: Figure 4 Response frequency for lik
Page 162 and 163: distribution of <s
Page 166 and 167: • Goats degrading temperate woodl
Page 168 and 169: conservation problems in Europe <st
Page 170 and 171: message that camels are a valuable
Page 172 and 173: In the Koolatong R
Page 174 and 175: environmental degradation’ (Nor<s
Page 176 and 177: ecause dingo and d
Page 178 and 179: Various control methods have been a
Page 180 and 181: Pascale Taplin, an Indigenous L<str
Page 182 and 183: Lack of a Strategi
Page 184 and 185: eradicated after seeing the
Page 186 and 187: In some situations, payment <strong
Page 188 and 189: could have led to better protocols
Page 190 and 191: Game hunting is a growing business,
Page 192 and 193: Much as we might like it, t
Page 194 and 195: conservation outcome. In such a sit
Page 196 and 197: community consultation and<
Page 198 and 199: • Have the non-t
Page 200 and 201: provide opportunities for strategic
Page 202 and 203: Section 9 Priorities for investment
Page 204 and 205: contacted for exact locations <stro
Page 206 and 207: way. Achilles heel research should
Page 208 and 209: efficient in any given situation. R
Page 210 and 211: west Queensland re
Page 212 and 213: Crossland, MR, 199
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Forsyth, DM, and P
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Lange, RT, and Gra
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Morgan, LA and But
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Parkes, JP, 1990, Feral goat contro
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Van Rensberg, PJJ, Skinner, JD, <st
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Appendix A Ferals animals</
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Indigenous lands I
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Appendix B Stakeholder survey form
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222
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Appendix C Database on past NHT fun
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Lachlan Rehabilitation of</
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Northern Territory
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Cape York Ambiilmungu-Ngarra tradit
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Wet Tropics Expansion and</
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Avon Protecting and</strong
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