As well as direct human impacts, Australia is seeing an increase in feral pest species that add to the pressure on our environment.
As well as direct human impacts, Australia is seeing an increase in feral pest species that add to the pressure on our environment.
Comments on the Draft Deer Management Strategy 2nd November 2018 EEG represents 350 members and over 1000 supporters and has been active in the East Gippsland region for 35 years. Our members have also witnessed a dramatic rise in deer numbers and have experienced the damage. We welcome a state strategy to reduce their numbers …
Introduced cats and foxes are finding native animals easily exposed by a loss of habitat due to fire and it is pushing some species to extinction. Research using infrared cameras and GPS trackers is showing the feral animals cover more ground in greater numbers after fires and their diet includes more native species. Bronwyn Hradsky …
Fire shapes biome distribution and community composition worldwide, and is extensively used as a management tool in flammable landscapes. There is growing concern, however, that fire could increase the vulnerability of native fauna to invasive predators. We developed a conceptual model of the ways in which fire could influence predator–prey dynamics. Using a before–after, control–impact …
Feral population of up to 6.3 million, at a density of one cat for every 4 sq km ‘underlines how potent they are for wildlife’ Feral cats cover 99.8% of Australia at a density of one cat for every four square kilometres, according to new research. The research was published in the journal of Biological …
Invasive species are a threat to wildlife across the globe – and invasive, predatory mammals are particularly damaging. Our research, recently published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that these predators – cats, rats and foxes, but also house mice, possums and many others – have contributed to around 60% of bird, …
A bird-loving scientist calls for an end to outdoor cats “once and for all” Pete Marra is haunted by cats. He sees them everywhere: slinking down alleys, crouched under porches, glaring at him out of wild, starved eyes. People assume that Marra, head of the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and author of the recent book Cat Wars, hates cats. …
Getting cows, deer, horses, goats and pigs out of national parks is proving a very difficult exercise, even though the damage they do is abundantly clear, says Phil Ingamells. When we were fighting licensed cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park, the cattlemen always asked why we weren’t arguing for control of horses and deer. …
In Victoria, a parliamentary enquiry has been set up to look at controlling invasive species on crown land. EEG is concerned there is too much focus on shooters and National Parks. Allowing shooting organisations to kill deer or foxes in the Alps or parks will hardly put a dint in their numbers (but will gain …
The old nursery rhyme may have questioned where the pussy cat had been, but a new research program reveals that just like the moggy that went to London, Australian domestic cats love to roam. Using global positioning system (GPS) devices, the program used at Lithgow, in central-west New South Wales, tracked the daily movements of …
Decline and extinction of Australian mammals since European settlement The island continent of Australia harbors much of the world’s most distinctive biodiversity, but this review describes an extent of recent and ongoing loss of its mammal fauna that is exceptionally high and appreciably greater than previously recognized. With the dwindling abundance, range, and diversity of …
