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contacted for exact locations <strong>of</strong> deer populations, including herds that were overlooked during his survey period. He was unable to supply this information in time for this report. 9.1.4 Queensl<strong>and</strong> Deer control should be a very high priority for investment in Queensl<strong>and</strong> because complete eradication <strong>of</strong> many small populations is achievable, <strong>and</strong> will <strong>of</strong>fer a very high return on investment by preventing <strong>the</strong> establishment <strong>of</strong> new <strong>feral</strong> pests with <strong>the</strong> capacity to spread over wide areas (Section 7.1.1). Red deer occur as one herd <strong>of</strong> fewer than 100 <strong>animals</strong> near Rockhampton (Moriarty 2004), <strong>and</strong> two populations in <strong>the</strong> Roma-Injune-Mitchell area, totalling between 100 <strong>and</strong> 500 (Jesser 2005). The latter populations may be beyond eradication, but <strong>the</strong> Rockhampton herd should be a high priority for removal. Fur<strong>the</strong>r assessment <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Roma-Injune-Mitchell population is needed before any decision is made about control. Rusa deer occur as one population near Townsville, one west <strong>of</strong> Mackay, <strong>and</strong> one near Rockhampton (Moriarty 2004). There may also be population on Cape York Peninsula north <strong>of</strong> Bamaga. These populations should be a very high priority for eradication. Chital deer occur as two separate populations near Burketown <strong>and</strong> Normanton in <strong>the</strong> Gulf Country (Moriarty 2004). There are also three populations in <strong>the</strong> nor<strong>the</strong>rn Brigalow Belt west or north-west <strong>of</strong> Rockhampton (Moriarty 2004) <strong>and</strong> one at <strong>the</strong> mouth <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Burdekin River (Jesser 2005). These should all be a high priority for eradication. There are also outlying populations around <strong>the</strong> Charters Towers that should be investigated as prospects for eradication. Andrew Moriarty, who conducted <strong>the</strong> deer survey upon which most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se comments are based, has mapped <strong>the</strong> localities <strong>of</strong> <strong>feral</strong> deer populations in Queensl<strong>and</strong>. He now works for <strong>the</strong> Rural L<strong>and</strong>s Protection Board in New South Wales, <strong>and</strong> should be contacted for exact locations <strong>of</strong> deer populations. Peter Jesser, who works for <strong>the</strong> DNRM in Queensl<strong>and</strong>, also has information about Queensl<strong>and</strong> deer populations. To avert extinction for two turtle species in <strong>the</strong> region, pigs urgently need to be controlled around turtle nesting beaches on <strong>the</strong> western side <strong>of</strong> Cape York Peninsula, mainly on Aboriginal l<strong>and</strong>s extending from <strong>the</strong> Jardine River to south <strong>of</strong> Weipa (Section 7). Foxes, pigs, dingoes <strong>and</strong> cats should be urgently controlled around breeding colonies <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Fitzroy River turtle <strong>and</strong> Burnett River snapping turtle in <strong>the</strong> Dawson-Fitzroy Catchment, to avert extinction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se species (Section 7). (The same actions should be undertaken outside <strong>the</strong> Rangel<strong>and</strong>s in <strong>the</strong> catchments <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Burnett <strong>and</strong> Mary Rivers.) 9.1.5 Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Territory Swamp buffalo are highly destructive. Their numbers were heavily controlled during <strong>the</strong> 1980s, but <strong>the</strong>y are multiplying rapidly <strong>and</strong> culling should be undertaken as a high priority throughout <strong>the</strong>ir range in <strong>the</strong> Top End <strong>and</strong> Victoria River District (Section 7.1.3). Catchments where control is urgently required include <strong>the</strong> Buckingham River, Koolatong River, Liverpool River, Goyder River, Goomadeer River <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Blyth 196
River. Buffalo invading <strong>the</strong> Victoria River Basin should also be eradicated before <strong>the</strong>ir numbers grow. Banteng numbers in Garig Gunak Barlu National Park on Coburg Peninsula have reached unsustainable numbers <strong>and</strong> a cull should be undertaken as a high priority (Section 7.1.4), especially in <strong>the</strong> wake <strong>of</strong> Cyclone Ingrid which caused massive habitat damage. Donkeys are very damaging <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir numbers have been controlled in <strong>the</strong> past. High numbers remain occur on Jawoyn Aboriginal l<strong>and</strong>s, especially in <strong>the</strong> Beswick L<strong>and</strong> Trust area (397 000 ha.) <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Eva Valley L<strong>and</strong> Trust area (=Manyalluk, 174,000 ha.). Donkey numbers are also high in <strong>the</strong> Victoria River Basin, where <strong>the</strong>y are identified as <strong>the</strong> ‘major environmental issue’. Fur<strong>the</strong>r investment is needed to control donkey numbers in <strong>the</strong>se areas. A widespread cull <strong>of</strong> camels is necessary in arid areas <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> state (Sections 3.7.12 <strong>and</strong> 7.1.2). They are multiplying out <strong>of</strong> control, <strong>and</strong> fouling <strong>and</strong> depleting outback water supplies <strong>and</strong> altering vegetation structure. The Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Territory population more than doubled between 1993 <strong>and</strong> 2001 <strong>and</strong>, if not controlled, will double again in about eight years (Edwards et al. 2003). Dingoes <strong>and</strong> dogs probably need controlling along <strong>the</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Territory coast east <strong>of</strong> Darwin (R. Chatto pers. comm.). Ray Chatto <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Territory Parks <strong>and</strong> Wildlife Commission is preparing a report on this matter which may recommend dog control at particularly important sites, nearly all <strong>of</strong> which occur on Indigenous l<strong>and</strong>s. More funding should be provided to Aboriginal communities to achieve better pest control on <strong>the</strong>ir l<strong>and</strong>s, as outlined in detail in Section 7.2.1. The priority areas are in <strong>the</strong> nor<strong>the</strong>rn half <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Territory, from <strong>the</strong> Victoria River Basin to <strong>the</strong> Top End <strong>and</strong> south to <strong>the</strong> Gulf Country, in regions where <strong>the</strong> rugged l<strong>and</strong>scape provides harborage for <strong>feral</strong> <strong>animals</strong> <strong>and</strong> limits access by <strong>the</strong> traditional owners. 9.2 Gaps in <strong>management</strong> tools <strong>and</strong> priorities for investment Reducing non-target <strong>impact</strong>s The majority <strong>of</strong> <strong>feral</strong> <strong>animals</strong> in <strong>the</strong> rangel<strong>and</strong>s are controlled using a suite <strong>of</strong> similar techniques. These have been summarised in Section 5. However, many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se control techniques also have detrimental <strong>impact</strong>s on native wildlife <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> more species-specific control techniques should be considered a priority area for investment. It is also an area <strong>of</strong> <strong>feral</strong> animal control that holds great potential for improving control effectiveness <strong>and</strong> efficiency. The geographical isolation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Australian continent has allowed a unique range <strong>of</strong> flora <strong>and</strong> fauna to develop in this country. Most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>feral</strong> <strong>animals</strong> in <strong>the</strong> rangel<strong>and</strong>s are quite evolutionarily distinct from native species <strong>and</strong> thus phylogenetic differences may provide physiological <strong>and</strong> behavioural differences that can be exploited. The ‘Achilles heel’ approach is to look for <strong>the</strong>se biological differences <strong>and</strong> examine methods <strong>of</strong> exploiting <strong>the</strong>m to create more <strong>feral</strong>-animal specific control techniques. The technique is most applicable to poison baiting techniques where specific foraging behaviours or physiological tolerances to toxins can be exploited. As an example, when ground baiting with 1080 meat baits for foxes, baits are usually buried. In this instance, <strong>the</strong> Achilles heel <strong>of</strong> foxes is that <strong>the</strong>y will willingly dig for baits, whereas most native carnivores will only scavenge surface baits. This increases target specificity greatly, whilst affecting <strong>the</strong> effectiveness <strong>of</strong> ground baiting in a minimal 197
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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
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5.9 Management of
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follow transect lines, one kilometr
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as a refuge from predators. Removal
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Summary of <strong
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was completed it was the</s
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warren structure amenable to recolo
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Poisons Traditionally, strychnine,
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infected and steri
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of high priority.
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Method of control
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5.11 Management of
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technique can allow for cost-effect
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Summary of <strong
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In South Australia, between 30 <str
Page 154 and 155: Summary of <strong
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 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 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</
Page 226 and 227: Indigenous lands I
Page 228 and 229: Appendix B Stakeholder survey form
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Page 232 and 233: 224
Page 234 and 235: 226
Page 236 and 237: Appendix C Database on past NHT fun
Page 238 and 239: Lachlan Rehabilitation of</
Page 240 and 241: Northern Territory
Page 242 and 243: Cape York Ambiilmungu-Ngarra tradit
Page 244 and 245: Wet Tropics Expansion and</
Page 246 and 247: Avon Protecting and</strong
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