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HARVESTING KANGAROOS: AN ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE |
Harvesting of kangaroos has a scientifically legitimate, ecological
and economic role, says Dr David Freudenberger of Australia's
leading research institution, the Commonwealth Scientific and
Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
A kangaroo ecologist who has spent decades studying the grazing
impact of kangaroos and sheep on Australia's vast arid rangelands,
Dr Freudenberger says that by integrating the kangaroo industry
into Australia's grazing activities we can ensure the survival
of kangaroos, reduce economic pressure on pastoralists, and reduce
the risk of rangeland degradation.
Dr Freudenberger lists reasons why the harvesting of kangaroos
is ecologically sound and sustainable:
Kangaroos
are abundant
There are currently some 25 million kangaroos in Australia's
outback - that is, more than one for every Australian citizen.
Population fluctuates with changing seasonal rainfall, but the
species is abundant.
Kangaroos
thrive in sheep country
The large species of kangaroo are thriving thanks to the removal
of dingoes (native wild dogs) from most areas, and the proliferation
of water sources such as wells and dams.
Most areas of Australia today are less than five kilometres
from water - an easy hop for a kangaroo. Where there is drinking
water, kangaroos flourish. Large kangaroos are now more abundant
than prior to European settlement, when waterholes in arid areas
were often separated by hundreds of kilometres.
Kangaroos
have been harvested for 50,000 years
Kangaroos have been part of the human diet since Aboriginal
people first colonised Australia. Our predatory skills have changed;
we now use high powered rifles rather than spears and dogs.
Without predation, the only other controlling factors are
starvation and disease. Starving animals, be they kangaroos or
sheep, over-graze by necessity.
Commercial harvesting of kangaroos is a modern form of predation.
Eliminating harvesting would significantly increase the risk
of overgrazing and degradation.
Kangaroos
are professionally harvested, not farmed
Kangaroos are not fenced and farmed, though occasionally fences
are used to keep them out of high-value crops and away from airfields.
About three million kangaroos are harvested each year in the
wild by professional marksmen, and the harvest is closely monitored
every year by wildlife agencies in each State. The number of
license tags issued is based on 15 - 20% of the current regional
population.
There
are conservation benefits from harvesting kangaroos
Harvesting kangaroos reduces the total pressure on Australia's
ancient and fragile plants and soils. It is an important component
of rangeland management. The international Union for the Conservation
of Nature (IUCN) recognises the conservation benefits that can
be gained through sustainable commercial use of wildlife.
More information from:
Dr David Freudenberger +61 2 6242 1607
+61 417 234 090
email: David.Freudenberger@dwe.csiro.au
David Salt, Communication Manager +61 2 6242 1645
email: David.Salt@dwe.csiro.au
*note: business hours in Canberra, Australia are midnight
to 8 am in the UK.
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