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ecause dingo <strong>and</strong> dog numbers are heavily controlled. Dingoes are very effective predators <strong>of</strong> newborn goats, <strong>and</strong> goats do not do well where dingoes are common. Goats are preventing regeneration <strong>of</strong> many woody plants in New South Wales. On MacCullochs Range, west <strong>of</strong> Cobar, New South Wales, large areas <strong>of</strong> mulga woodl<strong>and</strong>s are failing to regenerate (Hugh McNee, pers. comm.) Areas west <strong>of</strong> Engonnia are also heavily <strong>impact</strong>ed. When <strong>the</strong> larger trees die <strong>the</strong> habitat will disappear over substantial areas in New South Wales <strong>and</strong> Western Australia. Goats pose a particular threat to threatened malleefowl, eating <strong>the</strong> same foods as well as threatening <strong>the</strong>ir habitat (J. Benshemesh, D. Olivers pers. comm.). Malleefowl are rarely seen in goat country. Management <strong>of</strong> goats on private l<strong>and</strong>s is very variable. Some l<strong>and</strong>holders are neglecting <strong>the</strong>ir l<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> unwittingly allowing goat numbers to rise. O<strong>the</strong>rs are deliberately encouraging goats to multiply. Oliver (pers. comm.) described absentee l<strong>and</strong>holders who make good pr<strong>of</strong>its from <strong>the</strong>ir l<strong>and</strong> by driving up from Sydney every six months to harvest wild goats, but whose l<strong>and</strong> is suffering irrevocable damage. At <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r end <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> spectrum are property owners who are fencing <strong>of</strong>f water supplies <strong>and</strong> setting in place traps to capture goats <strong>and</strong> restrict <strong>the</strong>ir numbers. Goat <strong>management</strong> on private l<strong>and</strong>s is a major concern for national park managers, because goats regularly invade reserves from adjoining l<strong>and</strong>s. This is a serious problem in Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensl<strong>and</strong>, <strong>and</strong> to a lesser extent South Australia. When large numbers <strong>of</strong> goats are removed from national parks by culling or mustering (in Currawinya National Park in Queensl<strong>and</strong>, for example), <strong>the</strong>y are quickly replaced by goats w<strong>and</strong>ering in from adjoining properties. In western New South Wales grey kangaroos are contributing to <strong>the</strong> problems caused by goats (T. Auld pers. comm.). Support should be given to l<strong>and</strong>holders who manage <strong>the</strong>ir l<strong>and</strong>s to reduce goat numbers by fencing <strong>of</strong>f water supplies <strong>and</strong> install traps. Where kangaroo numbers are high <strong>the</strong>y too should be reduced by restricting access to water. 7.1.8 Rabbits in South Australia Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD) has proved very successful in reducing rabbit numbers in <strong>the</strong> Rangel<strong>and</strong>s, but this has not always led to <strong>the</strong> high levels <strong>of</strong> plant regeneration expected. Mass germination <strong>of</strong> seedlings has occurred in response to large rainfall events, but in some habitats <strong>the</strong> few surviving rabbits are preventing regeneration by removing all <strong>the</strong> seeds. This problem is very acute in mulga woodl<strong>and</strong>s monitored in <strong>the</strong> Flinders Ranges <strong>and</strong> Gammon Ranges in South Australia. Mulga (Acacia aneura) is a slow-growing longlived tree with leaves that are highly palatable to browsing <strong>animals</strong>, including rabbits. The age structure <strong>of</strong> mulga woodl<strong>and</strong>s in South Australia suggests <strong>the</strong>re has been very little recruitment <strong>of</strong> mulga since rabbits invaded <strong>the</strong> state in <strong>the</strong> 1890s (G. Mutze pers. comm.). Most st<strong>and</strong>s <strong>of</strong> trees are more than a hundred years old, or can be dated to <strong>the</strong> 1950s, when myxomatosis first struck <strong>and</strong> greatly depleted rabbit numbers. In studies underway in <strong>the</strong> Gammon Ranges, rabbits occurring at very low densities are found to be removing all <strong>the</strong> seedlings. Mulga seedlings in South Australia grow so slowly that <strong>the</strong>y remain vulnerable to rabbit damage for many years (G. Mutze pers. comm.). A seedling less than six months old will die if it is chewed by a rabbit, <strong>and</strong> even a two year old seedling may 168
not survive. Young mulga plants in South Australia remain vulnerable to rabbit destruction for <strong>the</strong> first five or ten years, perhaps surviving one attack from a rabbit, but not surviving repeated browsing. Study plots in <strong>the</strong> Gammon Ranges are showing that rabbits in very low densities, perhaps one per square kilometre, are completely preventing mulga regeneration. O<strong>the</strong>r tree <strong>and</strong> shrub species in South Australia suffer as well, for example Eremophila alternifolia <strong>and</strong> Acacia kempeana. Loss <strong>of</strong> mulga is especially significant because mulga <strong>the</strong> dominant habitat type over 20 per cent <strong>of</strong> Australia. Rabbits are not preventing regeneration over much <strong>of</strong> this area because rabbits are absent from some localities that support Mulga, <strong>and</strong> because mulga in <strong>the</strong> north <strong>of</strong> its range benefits from summer rainfall <strong>and</strong> grows more quickly. In south-west Queensl<strong>and</strong>, for example, <strong>the</strong> hotter summers <strong>and</strong> drier winters disadvantage rabbits (D. Berman pers. comm.). Experts in different states report that Mulga is regenerating adequately in Western Australia, <strong>the</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Territory <strong>and</strong> Queensl<strong>and</strong>, but regeneration is poor in New South Wales <strong>and</strong> South Australia. In western New South Wales problems are evident outside <strong>the</strong> mulga zone as well. In Kinchega National Park very little recruitment <strong>of</strong> plants is occurring, <strong>and</strong> suckers produced by four species (Acacia carneorum, Alectryon oleifolius, Casuarina pauper <strong>and</strong> Santalum acuminatum) are not surviving browsing, leading Denham <strong>and</strong> Auld (2004) to conclude that ‘<strong>the</strong> probability <strong>of</strong> successful recruitment into populations <strong>of</strong> suckering species in western New South Wales continues to be low even at very low rabbit densities’. Good rains have not fallen since RHD struck <strong>and</strong> it is possible that seedling recruitment in this park may improve if high-rainfall years produce a flush <strong>of</strong> seedlings. Denham & Auld (2004) are, however, pessimistic, concluding that ‘Despite a substantial reduction in rabbit numbers, grazing continues to have a demonstrable <strong>impact</strong> on recruitment <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se trees <strong>and</strong> shrubs. In New South Wales <strong>the</strong> situation is compounded by large number <strong>of</strong> goats (Section 3) <strong>and</strong> kangaroos which contribute greatly to total browsing pressure (H. McNee & T. Auld pers. comm.). Some ripping <strong>of</strong> rabbit warrens has been funded by <strong>the</strong> NHT in <strong>the</strong> Flinders Ranges. Warren ripping has also been undertaken over large areas in western New South Wales. Fur<strong>the</strong>r warren ripping in mulga woodl<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r woodl<strong>and</strong>s types in South Australia <strong>and</strong> New South Wales is warranted. Monitoring <strong>of</strong> mulga regeneration in sensitive areas should become a higher priority. 7.1.9 Pigs in Cape York Pigs along <strong>the</strong> western side <strong>of</strong> Cape York Peninsula are preying heavily on <strong>the</strong> eggs <strong>and</strong> hatchlings <strong>of</strong> endangered Olive Ridley turtles <strong>and</strong> vulnerable flatbacks, posing a dire threat to <strong>the</strong>ir survival. A study by John Doherty (pers. comm.) has found that turtles are losing 80 per cent <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir eggs to predation, 70 per cent <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m to pigs (dingoes are taking 5 per cent, goannas 2-3 per cent <strong>and</strong> humans 2.4 per cent.) The pigs shelter in high numbers in thickly vegetated swamps behind <strong>the</strong> beaches where <strong>the</strong> pigs breed. Predation is occurring on all <strong>the</strong> beaches used by <strong>the</strong>se turtles on Cape York Peninsula, extending from <strong>the</strong> Jardine River to well south <strong>of</strong> Weipa. Col Limpus (pers. comm.) estimates a predation rate <strong>of</strong> 90 per cent at some sites. Both turtle species face regional extinction. The populations are geographically (<strong>and</strong> presumably genetically) distinct from o<strong>the</strong>r populations <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se species. Olive Ridleys <strong>and</strong> flatbacks are far more vulnerable to predation than o<strong>the</strong>r turtle species because <strong>the</strong>y lay <strong>the</strong>ir eggs in shallow sites on mainl<strong>and</strong> beaches, ra<strong>the</strong>r than digging deep holes on isl<strong>and</strong> beaches. 169
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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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80% of export was
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ensuring effective treatment <stron
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the lower cost, wi
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5.8 Management of
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conservation value rathe</s
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effort on the cont
Page 126 and 127: 5.9 Management of
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,
Page 140 and 141: infected and steri
Page 142 and 143: of high priority.
Page 144 and 145: Method of control
Page 146 and 147: 5.11 Management of
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 164 and 165: Section 7 Key problems and<
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 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
Page 214 and 215: Forsyth, DM, and P
Page 216 and 217: Lange, RT, and Gra
Page 218 and 219: Morgan, LA and But
Page 220 and 221: Parkes, JP, 1990, Feral goat contro
Page 222 and 223: Van Rensberg, PJJ, Skinner, JD, <st
Page 224 and 225: 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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224
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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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