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To see Jayne delivering this presentation, go to our Youtube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkARGfZrx4M Full author list is: Jayne Brim-Box, Ross Bryan, Donna Digby, Glenn Edwards, Glenis McBurnie, Catherine Nano, Keith Saalfeld and Kym Schwartzkopff
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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
0
5
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0-0.1 0.1-0.2 0.2-0.3 0.3-0.4 >0.4
Density category (camels/km2)
Dam
age
cost
($/k
m2 )
74 14
11
98
• 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
Brow
sing
Inde
x
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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1 2 3
Visit
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fire= absent fire= present
% p
lant
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What happens when you combine fire and browsing?
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Visit fire= absent fire= present
2013
2013
2010
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0-0.1 0.1-0.5 0.5-1 1->2
What does it all mean?
Density category (camels/km2)
Dam
age
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
0-0.1 0.1-0.5 0.5-1.0 1.0-2.0
Density category (camels/km2)
0-0.1 0.1-0.5 0.5-1.0 1.0-2.0
% of population browsed
% of branches browsed per shrub
2013, at end of project
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0-0.1 0.1-0.5 0.5-1 1->2
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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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Days
Nu
mb
er
of
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ecie
s
camels present
camels absent
Finally, the importance of traditional management
3:50pm
3:10pm
3:55pm
4:00pm
6:00pm 8:30pm
7:30am
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