The Experts below are selected from a list of 4518 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Peter J. Whitehead - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Managing an Endangered Asian Bovid in an Australian National Park: The Role and Limitations of Ecological-Economic Models in Decision-Making
Environmental Management, 2006Co-Authors: Barry W. Brook, David M. J. S. Bowman, Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Bruce M. Campbell, Peter J. WhiteheadAbstract:Should north Australia’s extensive populations of Feral Animals be eradicated for conservation, or exploited as a rare opportunity for Indigenous enterprise in remote regions? We examine options for a herd of banteng, a cattle species endangered in its native Asian range but abundant in Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, an Aboriginal land managed jointly by traditional owners and a conservation agency in the Northern Territory of Australia. We reflect on the paradoxes that arise when trying to deal effectively with such complex and contested issues in natural resource management using decision-support tools (ecological-economic models), by identifying the trade-offs inherent in protecting values whilst also providing incomes for Indigenous landowners.
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Bush tucker, bush pets, and bush threats: Cooperative management of Feral Animals in Australia's Kakadu National Park
Conservation Biology, 2005Co-Authors: Catherine J. Robinson, Dermot Smyth, Peter J. WhiteheadAbstract:Although Feral animal management is often based on the proposition that introduced species threaten ecological and conservation values, that view is not necessarily shared by all stakeholders, including those indigenous people who own and co-manage Kakadu National Park with Australia's federal government. Drawing on field-based interviews with the Jawoyn people, we found that these indigenous people categorize water buffalo ( Bubalus bubalis) as an important food source (tucker), view horses ( Equus caballus) as bush pets, and consider pigs ( Sus scrofa) a threat to their lands. As a result, Jawoyn people want more water buffalo in the park, have high tolerance of environmental damage caused by horses, and are open to the idea that pig population densities should be reduced. Jawoyn also advocate an adaptive and participatory approach to Feral animal control so that the consequences of any management actions can be properly understood before irrevocable change occurs. These findings highlight one example of how indigenous people's ecological knowledge has adapted in response to changing landscapes and community aspirations. Co-management strategies that aim to incorporate the dynamics of indigenous people's views need to start with issues on which there is agreement between different groups and take a cautious approach to joint exploration of more contentious issues. That approach should include ongoing and on-site monitoring so that the consequences of management actions can be properly understood and comprehensively negotiated by all parties.
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cross cultural management of pest animal damage a case study of Feral buffalo control in australia s kakadu national park
Environmental Management, 2003Co-Authors: Catherine J. Robinson, Peter J. WhiteheadAbstract:Government agencies responsible for pest animal management often assume that their views and assumptions about the benefits of control are widely shared, especially if these pests are exotics. This was certainly the case when tens of thousands of Feral Asian water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) were to be culled in Australia’s Kakadu National Park as part of a national Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign (BTEC). Implementation of the campaign sparked considerable dispute between officials and aboriginal and non-aboriginal interests about the risks posed by buffalo relative to their value as a potential resource. Drawing upon a variety of written and oral sources relating to the era of buffalo control in Kakadu, this paper critically analyzes the way in which detriment caused by buffalo was appraised and managed under the BTEC program. In particular, the paper focuses the ways in which the BTEC program affected aboriginal people in Kakadu, who view buffalo as a source of customary and economic benefit as well as a source of change on their lands. The paper then considers what lessons can be learned from the BTEC for the development of sensible Feral management objectives and strategies. It is argued that effective management of Feral Animals such as buffalo will require environmental managers to engage with local people and involve them in the definition and management of pest animal damage and methods of control.
Edward Jitik Narayan - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Evaluation of physiological stress in Australian wildlife: Embracing pioneering and current knowledge as a guide to future research directions.
General and Comparative Endocrinology, 2015Co-Authors: Edward Jitik NarayanAbstract:Australia has a rich terrestrial and marine biodiversity and high species endemism. However, the oceanic continent is facing the biodiversity extinction crisis. The primary factors are anthropogenic induced environmental changes, including wildlife habitat destruction through urbanisation and predation by Feral Animals (e.g. red foxes and Feral cats), increased severity of diseases (e.g. chytridiomycosis and chlamydia), and increased occurrence of summer heat waves and bush fires. Stress physiology is a dynamic field of science based on the studies of endocrine system functioning in Animals. The primary stress regulator is the hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal (interrenal) axis and glucocorticoids (corticosterone and/or cortisol) provide stress index across vertebrate groups. This review paper focuses on physiological stress assessments in Australian wildlife using examples of amphibians, reptiles, birds and marsupials. I provide a thorough discussion of pioneering studies that have shaped the field of stress physiology in Australian wildlife species. The main findings point towards key aspects of stress endocrinology research, such as quantification of biologically active levels of glucocorticoids, development of species-specific GC assays and applications of stress physiology approaches in field ecology and wildlife conservation programs. Furthermore, I also discuss the importance of chronic stress assessment in wildlife populations. Finally, I provide a conceptual framework presenting key research questions in areas of wildlife stress physiology research. In conclusion, wildlife management programs can immensely benefit from stress physiology assessments to gauge the impact of human interventions on wildlife such as species translocation and Feral species eradication.
David M. J. S. Bowman - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Conservation: Bring elephants to Australia?
Nature, 2012Co-Authors: David M. J. S. BowmanAbstract:There's a solution to the continent's rampant fires and Feral Animals, says David Bowman — introduce large mammals and increase hunting pressure.
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Monitoring Contrasting Land Management in the Savanna Landscapes of Northern Australia
Environmental Management, 2008Co-Authors: Donald C. Franklin, Aaron M. Petty, Grant J. Williamson, Barry W. Brook, David M. J. S. BowmanAbstract:We compared measures of ecosystem state across six adjacent land-tenure groups in the intact tropical savanna landscapes of northern Australia. Tenure groups include two managed by Aboriginal owners, two national parks, a cluster of pastoral leases, and a military training area. This information is of relevance to the debate about the role of indigenous lands in the Australian conservation estate. The timing and frequency of fire was determined by satellite imagery; the biomass and composition of the herb-layer and the abundance of large Feral herbivores by field surveys; and weediness by analysis of a Herbarium database. European tenures varied greatly in fire frequencies but were consistently burnt earlier in the dry season than the two Aboriginal tenures, the latter having intermediate fire frequencies. Weeds were more frequent in the European tenures, whilst Feral Animals were most abundant in the Aboriginal tenures. This variation strongly implies a signature of current management and/or recent environmental history. We identify indices suitable for monitoring of management outcomes in an extensive and sparsely populated landscape. Aboriginal land offers a unique opportunity for the conservation of biodiversity through the maintenance of traditional fire regimes. However, without financial support, traditional practices may prove unsustainable both economically and because exotic weeds and Feral Animals will alter fire regimes. An additional return on investment in Aboriginal land management is likely to be improved livelihoods and health outcomes for these disadvantaged communities.
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Managing an Endangered Asian Bovid in an Australian National Park: The Role and Limitations of Ecological-Economic Models in Decision-Making
Environmental Management, 2006Co-Authors: Barry W. Brook, David M. J. S. Bowman, Corey J. A. Bradshaw, Bruce M. Campbell, Peter J. WhiteheadAbstract:Should north Australia’s extensive populations of Feral Animals be eradicated for conservation, or exploited as a rare opportunity for Indigenous enterprise in remote regions? We examine options for a herd of banteng, a cattle species endangered in its native Asian range but abundant in Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, an Aboriginal land managed jointly by traditional owners and a conservation agency in the Northern Territory of Australia. We reflect on the paradoxes that arise when trying to deal effectively with such complex and contested issues in natural resource management using decision-support tools (ecological-economic models), by identifying the trade-offs inherent in protecting values whilst also providing incomes for Indigenous landowners.
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The Getting of the Nganabbarru: Observations and reflections on Aboriginal buffalo hunting in northern Australia
Australian Geographer, 2002Co-Authors: David M. J. S. Bowman, Catherine J. RobinsonAbstract:Nganabbarru , or water buffalo ( Bubalus bubalis ), is frequently hunted by Aboriginal men, and buffalo meat is an important food source for many Arnhem Land Aboriginal communities. The experience of buffalo hunting trips with Aboriginal men who reside at Korlohbidahdah outstation in central Arnhem Land is used as a point of departure to consider the relationships between Aboriginal people and megaherbivores in the past and the present, and to explore the complexity of Feral animal management in cross-cultural settings. This enquiry raised the question of the cultural conception of Feral Animals and demonstrates that there is no simple answer to the question: what is a buffalo? Buffaloes have been the focus of a colonial economic industry and are iconic of the Territorian way of life. However, they spread economically significant livestock diseases and cause widespread environmental damage. In the 1980s Feral buffalo populations were the target of the Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign (BTE...
Catherine J. Robinson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Boundary work: engaging knowledge systems in co-management of Feral Animals on indigenous lands.
Ecology and Society, 2012Co-Authors: Catherine J. Robinson, Tabatha WallingtonAbstract:The integration and use of Indigenous knowledge to inform contemporary environmental policy decisions and management solutions is a growing global phenomenon. However, there is little critical inquiry about how the interactions between scientific and Indigenous knowledge (IK) systems can be effectively negotiated for the joint management of social-ecological systems. Such issues are urgent on Indigenous lands where co-management efforts respond to pressing conservation agendas and where the contribution of scientific knowledge and IK is required to better understand and manage complex social-ecological systems. We draw on the notion of boundary work to examine how interaction at the boundaries of scientific and IK systems can be managed effectively as a contribution to co-management. The case study of Feral animal co-management in Australia’s Kakadu National Park illuminates the work required for local co-managers to bridge the divide between scientific and IK systems and to ensure the translation of knowledge for management decisions. Attributes of effective boundary work demonstrated in this case include: meaningful participation in agenda setting and joint knowledge production to enable co-managers to translate available knowledge into joint Feral animal programs, Indigenous and non-Indigenous ranger efforts to broker interactions between knowledge systems that are supported by co-governance arrangements to ensure that boundary work remains accountable, and the production of collaboratively built boundary objects (e.g., Feral animal impact assessment data) that helps to coordinate local action between co-managers. This case study illustrates the contribution of boundary work to local co-manager efforts to translate across knowledge systems and across the knowledge-action divide, even when consensus is difficult to achieve.
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Bush tucker, bush pets, and bush threats: Cooperative management of Feral Animals in Australia's Kakadu National Park
Conservation Biology, 2005Co-Authors: Catherine J. Robinson, Dermot Smyth, Peter J. WhiteheadAbstract:Although Feral animal management is often based on the proposition that introduced species threaten ecological and conservation values, that view is not necessarily shared by all stakeholders, including those indigenous people who own and co-manage Kakadu National Park with Australia's federal government. Drawing on field-based interviews with the Jawoyn people, we found that these indigenous people categorize water buffalo ( Bubalus bubalis) as an important food source (tucker), view horses ( Equus caballus) as bush pets, and consider pigs ( Sus scrofa) a threat to their lands. As a result, Jawoyn people want more water buffalo in the park, have high tolerance of environmental damage caused by horses, and are open to the idea that pig population densities should be reduced. Jawoyn also advocate an adaptive and participatory approach to Feral animal control so that the consequences of any management actions can be properly understood before irrevocable change occurs. These findings highlight one example of how indigenous people's ecological knowledge has adapted in response to changing landscapes and community aspirations. Co-management strategies that aim to incorporate the dynamics of indigenous people's views need to start with issues on which there is agreement between different groups and take a cautious approach to joint exploration of more contentious issues. That approach should include ongoing and on-site monitoring so that the consequences of management actions can be properly understood and comprehensively negotiated by all parties.
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cross cultural management of pest animal damage a case study of Feral buffalo control in australia s kakadu national park
Environmental Management, 2003Co-Authors: Catherine J. Robinson, Peter J. WhiteheadAbstract:Government agencies responsible for pest animal management often assume that their views and assumptions about the benefits of control are widely shared, especially if these pests are exotics. This was certainly the case when tens of thousands of Feral Asian water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) were to be culled in Australia’s Kakadu National Park as part of a national Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign (BTEC). Implementation of the campaign sparked considerable dispute between officials and aboriginal and non-aboriginal interests about the risks posed by buffalo relative to their value as a potential resource. Drawing upon a variety of written and oral sources relating to the era of buffalo control in Kakadu, this paper critically analyzes the way in which detriment caused by buffalo was appraised and managed under the BTEC program. In particular, the paper focuses the ways in which the BTEC program affected aboriginal people in Kakadu, who view buffalo as a source of customary and economic benefit as well as a source of change on their lands. The paper then considers what lessons can be learned from the BTEC for the development of sensible Feral management objectives and strategies. It is argued that effective management of Feral Animals such as buffalo will require environmental managers to engage with local people and involve them in the definition and management of pest animal damage and methods of control.
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The Getting of the Nganabbarru: Observations and reflections on Aboriginal buffalo hunting in northern Australia
Australian Geographer, 2002Co-Authors: David M. J. S. Bowman, Catherine J. RobinsonAbstract:Nganabbarru , or water buffalo ( Bubalus bubalis ), is frequently hunted by Aboriginal men, and buffalo meat is an important food source for many Arnhem Land Aboriginal communities. The experience of buffalo hunting trips with Aboriginal men who reside at Korlohbidahdah outstation in central Arnhem Land is used as a point of departure to consider the relationships between Aboriginal people and megaherbivores in the past and the present, and to explore the complexity of Feral animal management in cross-cultural settings. This enquiry raised the question of the cultural conception of Feral Animals and demonstrates that there is no simple answer to the question: what is a buffalo? Buffaloes have been the focus of a colonial economic industry and are iconic of the Territorian way of life. However, they spread economically significant livestock diseases and cause widespread environmental damage. In the 1980s Feral buffalo populations were the target of the Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign (BTE...
Linda D. Highfield - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The potential role of wild and Feral Animals as reservoirs of foot-and-mouth disease
Preventive veterinary medicine, 2007Co-Authors: Michael P. Ward, Shawn W. Laffan, Linda D. HighfieldAbstract:Abstract We investigated the potential role of Feral pigs and wild deer as FMD reservoirs with a susceptible–latent–infected–recovered geographic-automata model, using spatially referenced data from southern Texas, USA. An uncontrolled FMD outbreak initiated in Feral pigs and in wild deer might infect up to 698 (90% prediction interval 181, 1387) and 1557 (823, 2118) cattle and affect an area of 166 km2 (53, 306) and 455 km2 (301, 588), respectively. The predicted spread of FMD virus infection was influenced by assumptions we made regarding the number of incursion sites and the number of neighborhood interactions between herds. Our approach explicitly incorporates the spatial relationships between domesticated and non-domesticated animal populations, providing a new framework to explore the impacts, costs, and strategies for the control of foreign animal diseases with a potential wildlife reservoir.