Jayne Brim-Box et al: 'Monitoring the impact of feral camels on water places and...

Reducing feral camel impacts across remote Australia:

Australian Feral Camel Management Project

21st November 2013, Parliament House Theatre, Canberra

Session Three: Achievements and Outcomes Speakers: Mark Lethbridge, Ecoknowledge Jayne Brim Box, Northern Territory Government Sam Rando, Central Land Council Karl Hampton, Ninti One Lyndee Severin, Curtin Springs Station Jan Ferguson, Ninti One

Monitoring the impact of feral camels on water places and vegetation Jayne Brim Box Ross Bryan Donna Digby Glenn Edwards Glenis McBurnie Catherine Nano Keith Saalfeld Kym Schwartzkopff

Other Contributors Jason Britten Chris Brock Luke Curtis Pat Hodgens Martin Campbell Tracey Guest Peter Latz Kathy McConnell Rachel Paltridge Ashley and Lyndee Severin CLC ranger groups Traditional Owners

Camels in central Australia: Widespread and abundant “Impacts on waterbodies and plants can be considerable” Eight years ago Traditional Owners near Uluru suggested some waterholes “need help” because of camel impacts

More importantly, what will happen after control efforts implemented?

In the NT: Monitoring will focus on assessing camel impacts in key environmental asset areas, with a focus on:

1. key wetland habitats 2. vegetation

Australian Feral Camel Management Project

Asset areas are on Aboriginal Land trusts.

1. Monitoring Camel Impacts on vegetation in the NT Jayne Brim Box Catherine Nano Glenis McBurnie Glenn Edwards Andy Bubb Chris Brock Veronica Dobson Tracey Guest Peter Latz Kathy McConnell Rachel Paltridge Don Waller And CLC Ranger groups

Photo by Ian Kidd

First Consider

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• What damage are feral camels causing at current densities? • Can we determine a damage/density relationship? • Will there be “legacy” effects?

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-- Few studies have documented feral camel impacts in the “wild”

-- Central Australia is a complex environment

Death by a thousand cuts?

Browsing literature review....~ 100 papers Africa, Asia, Australia, North America, South America Europe, New Zealand, etc. Camels Deer (several types) Elk Elephants other African browsers Moose Beavers Cattle Goats other critters........

monit

The Background to Our Approach: Develop a camel browsing index (BI)

21 tree species measured ~ 120 sites across inland Australia > 4,200 individual trees measured

At each tree measured 1. tree height 2. tree dbh or dgh 3. height to crown base 4. percentage defoliation 5. structural damage 6. seedlings 7. flowering or fruiting 8. max. crown width 9. min. crown width 10. canopy cover 11. overall tree health 12. number of stems

At each site measured 40 trees camel pellets site condition

Findings for our Northern Territory sites

Are feral camels killing trees and shrubs outright?

Photo copyrighted Jeana Costa

No, we found little evidence feral camels killed trees/shrubs (< 3%)

Acacia bush (impacted site) Acacia bush (control site)

If feral camels aren’t killing trees and shrubs, how are they affecting them?

tree (“disturbance-sensitive”) shrub (“resprouters”)

Are they eating both forms? Yes. And a lot of them, both trees and shrubs.

Shrubs Trees

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If not killing them, what kind of damage are they causing?

Browse Line

Trees: Losing biomass from below

Canopy and biomass loss

Browsed Trees:

Significantly less canopy

Loss of lateral branches

Loss of foliages and foliage by camels.

Browse line

Browse line

Shrubs and samplings: Losing biomass from above

Stuck in browse and flame zone?

Stunted? Yes

Fire and Browsing

What happens when you combine the two?

2010 2012

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What happens when you combine fire and browsing?

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What does it all mean?

Density category (camels/km2)

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Started with these densities Post-camel removal,

now at these densities

2010 2013

80% of trees browsed

~ half of branches per tree browsed

2010, at start of project

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% of population browsed

% of branches browsed per shrub

2013, at end of project

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2010: Legacy effects? stunting loss of biomass stuck in fire zone stuck in browse zone ecological consequences

2013: Legacy effects? not clear, WA data suggest not a lot less damage to individual trees and populations

Future management........

2. Monitoring Camel Impacts on water places in central Australia Jayne Brim Box Glenis McBurnie Tracey Guest Martin Campbell Jenny Davis Meg Mooney Andy Bubb Pat Hodgens Luke Curtis Glenn Edwards CLC ranger groups

Photo by Jenny Davis

In the NT: Monitoring will focus on assessing camel impacts in key environmental asset areas, with a focus on: key wetland habitats.

Photo by Jenny Davis

Water in central Australia? Yes!

Photos by Ian Kidd

Arid Waterbodies Worldwide: Precious Jewels of the Desert

provide reliable water in desert landscapes often biological hotspots

often provide habitat for rare, relict and endemic species are important areas for terrestrial animals and plants

among the most threatened ecosystems on the planet

and in central Australia, most waterbodies are extremely important to the local people

Why care if “Impacts on waterbodies can be considerable”

Our ancestral lands and water sites are being wrecked and ruined by feral animals.

Our water sites are wrecked; camels, donkeys, cattle, horses tracks and pads

start to erode and erosion becomes gullies.

The country is suffering pretty bad. The top fertile soil gets blown or washed.

Nothing much grows there anymore. -- Veronica Dobson, Traditional Owner

What does “wrecked and ruined” look like?

Water Monitoring

- Macroinvertebrate sampling

- Water quality monitoring

- Camera traps

- Indigenous Ranger and Traditional Owners training

Why use macroinvertebrates to investigate camel impacts? 1) widely distributed.

2) commonly used in toxicity testing.

3) often exposed directly to stressors in waterbodies.

4) are integral components of wetland food webs for wildlife.

5) are often used in citizen wetland monitoring programs.

AND: Aquatic animals are threatened globally, partly because many are sensitive to poor water quality

Photos by Paul Sunnucks

camels present camels absent

• Higher turbidity (muddy water) • Lower species richness • Fewer sensitive species • Fewer predatory invertebrates

• Fewer species with gills

• Lower turbidity (clearer water) • Higher species richness • More sensitive species • More predatory invertebrates

• More species with gills

Why care? Biodiversity, lots of “new” species out there.

Findings: Aquatic animals and water quality

Turbidity Species (#)

How much water are camels drinking?

February 2013

October 2012

Was this an isolated incidence? No

October-December 2012

What happens to the native wildlife?

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Finally, the importance of traditional management

3:50pm

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Can sites recover?

1+ camels 0 camels

2008 Loss of species Loss of sensitive species Loss of drinking water Loss of native wildlife?

2013 Able to bounce back?

Future management........

We would like to see young people manage the land and these waters like our people in the past have done, caring for the land.

-- Veronica Dobson

Special Thanks to Central Land Council --Papunya Rangers --Walpiri Rangers --Santa Teresa Rangers --Anmatyerr Rangers --Docker River Rangers --Tjuwanpa Rangers --APY lands Rangers --KJ Rangers --Uluru/Kata Tjuta Rangers and many, many gracious and hospitable Traditional Owners across central Australia

Central Land Council

www.nintione.com.au