Andrew Bubb: 'Establishing the environmental assessment framework and national network of...

Reducing feral camel impacts across remote Australia:

Australian Feral Camel Management Project

21st November 2013, Parliament House Theatre, Canberra

Session Two: Governance and Delivery Speakers: Billy Landy, Mark Jeffries and Peter See Byron Brooks, Ethan Hansen, Troy Hansen and Peter Twigg Mike Eathorne, Meramist Pty Ltd Andy Bubb, Ninti One John Virtue, Biosecurity SA Bidda Jones, RSPCA

Establishing the environmental assessment framework and national network of monitoring sites Andy Bubb

Australian Feral Camel Management Project

Ninti One

Steering Committee

On-ground Monitoring Group

National Operations Group

MERI Group South Australian Operations

Group

Australian Government

Western Australian Operations Group

Feral Camel Geodatabase Group

Northern Territory Operations Group

Objectives Australian Govt-Ninti One contract targets:

1. Protect identified refuges for biodiversity in northern and remote Australia by reducing density of camels in ‘surrounding areas’ to <0.1 animals/sq km.

2. Protect high priority non-Ramsar high conservation value aquatic ecosystems.

3. Improve soil management on pastoral properties.

• Extensive MERI Plan at the start of the AFCMP

• Program Logic established

What improves as the feral camels are removed?

MERI (Monitor, Evaluate, Review, Improvement)

Monitors 26 measures across: • Camel removal • Environmental impact • Land management • Capacity building and public

support • Infrastructure damage • Compliance with SOP • Communication and extension

Feral Camel Removal

020000400006000080000

100000120000140000160000180000

Sep-

09De

c-09

Mar

-10

Jun-

10Se

p-10

Dec-

10M

ar-1

1Ju

n-11

Sep-

11De

c-11

Mar

-12

Jun-

12Se

p-12

Dec-

12M

ar-1

3Ju

n-13

Sep-

13Aerial cull MusterPetmeat Total Removal

10

Environmental Impact

00.05

0.10.15

0.20.25

0.30.35

0.40.45

0.5

Unbrowsed Browsed

Mulga

not stunted

2 m tall / 1 m wide = 2

stunted

1 m tall / 2 m wide = 2

0123456789

10

Sensitive species Predators Species with gills

Camels absent Camels present

85

Environmental Impact

86

• Number of land managers adopting new conservation measures

• Area of land managed by landholders adopting new conservation measures

87

Land Management

• Number of partnerships established, supported and contributed to

• Improved long term capacity to remove camels

• Changing Views of landholders about the feral camel impact and management

88

Capacity building and public support

Infrastructure damage

90

Compliance with SOP

91

• Number of Written Products

• Number of Media articles

• Number training sessions

Communication and extension

www.feralcamels.com.au www.feralscan.org.au/camelscan

92

Improvement

• No individual has all of the questions or answers, seek many experts!

• Environmental monitoring timeframes will always be tight, work with it

• Continual collaboration building • Seek enduring benefit where possible, not

just project specific monitoring

www.nintione.com.au