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

The Burnett River turtle also occurs in <strong>the</strong> Burnett <strong>and</strong> Mary rivers, which fall outside
<strong>the</strong> Rangel<strong>and</strong>s.
7.2 Social <strong>and</strong> industry issues
Three social <strong>and</strong> industry issues require more government attention to gain better
outcomes for biodiversity:
• Indigenous Communities
• New Industries
• Hunting.
Each <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se is discussed in turn in <strong>the</strong> following sections. Better indigenous liason
should become a key goal for investment <strong>of</strong> NHT funding.
7.2.1 Indigenous communities
Large areas <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Rangel<strong>and</strong>s, supporting high biodiversity, are owned by indigenous
people. Feral <strong>animals</strong> are not adequately controlled in many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se areas. The lack
<strong>of</strong> adequate <strong>feral</strong> animal control on Indigenous l<strong>and</strong>s is one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> major gaps in <strong>feral</strong>
animal <strong>management</strong> in Australia. This is especially true in <strong>the</strong> Top End, where
Aboriginal l<strong>and</strong>s extend over 195 000 square kilometres, including regions where
donkeys, horses, buffalo, banteng <strong>and</strong> pigs roam in vast <strong>and</strong> growing numbers.
Several <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> problems which this report identifies as requiring fur<strong>the</strong>r investment –
buffalo, donkey <strong>and</strong> banteng damage in <strong>the</strong> Top End, <strong>and</strong> pig <strong>and</strong> dog predation on
turtle eggs – are occurring mainly or only on Aboriginal l<strong>and</strong>s. Camels are also a
major problem on Aboriginal l<strong>and</strong>s.
The Nor<strong>the</strong>rn L<strong>and</strong> Council, which represents Aboriginal interests in <strong>the</strong> Top End <strong>of</strong>
<strong>the</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Territory, produced a major report on environmental <strong>management</strong> in
November 2004 which highlights many inadequacies in <strong>feral</strong> animal control in <strong>the</strong>
region (Nor<strong>the</strong>rn L<strong>and</strong> Council 2004). As noted earlier, many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> communities
surveyed identified buffalo as a worsening problem, causing serious environmental
harm in many catchments. In <strong>the</strong> Victoria River Basin degradation by donkeys <strong>and</strong>
horses is <strong>the</strong> ‘major environmental issue’. Pig damage is also a major concern in some
areas, for example <strong>the</strong> Moyle River basin.
There is adequate control <strong>of</strong> some <strong>feral</strong> <strong>animals</strong> on some Aboriginal l<strong>and</strong>s, but control
is uneven for <strong>the</strong> following reasons:
• Poor communication between pest managers <strong>and</strong> communities,
• Logistic problems
• Lack <strong>of</strong> a strategic approach
• Inadequate funding,
• The valuing <strong>of</strong> <strong>feral</strong> <strong>animals</strong>
Poor communication
During <strong>the</strong> course <strong>of</strong> this project discussions were held with various pest managers
operating within <strong>the</strong> Rangel<strong>and</strong>s, <strong>and</strong> it became apparent that <strong>the</strong>ir relationships with
Aboriginal communities vary. Some have workable relationships, while o<strong>the</strong>rs are
less successful <strong>and</strong> emphasise <strong>the</strong> different values held by Aborigines.
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