Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/21102
Title: Managing dingoes on Fraser Island: culling, conflict, and an alternative
Contributor(s): O'Neill, Adam J (author); Cairns, Kylie M (author); Kaplan, Gisela  (author)orcid ; Healy, Ernest (author)
Publication Date: 2017
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.1071/PC16026Open Access Link
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/21102
Abstract: Globally, the role of large predators is increasingly understood as essential for the restoration and maintenance of ecosystems. Consequently, predator conservation represents a paradigm shift in ecological thinking, yet the management of predators sets conflicting goals because of ongoing conflict with humans. This is exemplified on Fraser Island where dingoes come into conflict with tourists, and dingoes perceived to be dangerous are regularly culled. It is argued here that this new conservation paradigm premised on protecting predators in conjunction with conventional wildlife management can result in predator populations being held in a perpetual state of social disorder, exacerbating rather than alleviating conflict. We consider the intensity and frequency of lethal control and how this may impact upon predator social structures, healthy ecological function, stable breeding patterns and stable territoriality. The direct effects of management-induced psychological stress for the survivors of episodic culls are discussed, as well as the indirect flow on effects of social dysfunction. A final consideration is the cyclical nature of lethal control, whereby conflict with humans results in culling which, in turn, gives rise to further social disruption and conflict. In part, our assessment is derived from official data collected in the course of the management of dingoes on Fraser Island. On this basis, and on the basis of the international literature available, we offer new insights, which may inform predator management more broadly.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Pacific Conservation Biology, 23(1), p. 4-14
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Place of Publication: Australia
ISSN: 2204-4604
1038-2097
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 060801 Animal Behaviour
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 310901 Animal behaviour
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 280102 Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article
School of Science and Technology

Files in This Item:
4 files
File Description SizeFormat 
Show full item record

SCOPUSTM   
Citations

12
checked on Mar 9, 2024

Page view(s)

1,128
checked on Mar 8, 2023
Google Media

Google ScholarTM

Check

Altmetric


Items in Research UNE are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.