Recovery and Discovery: Where We Have Been and Where We Might Go With Species Recovery.

Abstract

History and pre-history tells us that Australian mammals have fared poorly through their association with humans. First there were the Pleistocene megafauna extinctions as Aborigines colonised the continent followed later by extinction of the large marsupial carnivores after introduction of the Dingo. European colonisation first appeared to favour many native mammals but later led to declines and extinctions at an unprecedented rate. The shock waves of these massive changes are most probably still reverberating across the landscape and need consideration in our approach to species conservation. Species recovery is a new and important science. Current management efforts focus on broad scale baiting of Foxes, translocation of endangered species to offshore predator-free islands, and their protection in predator enclosures. A national and more corporate approach to species conservation has arisen from national species recovery teams. Sharing of resources, particularly technical information on threat management, is critical to effective species recovery. This is especially important in forging the desperately needed break-through in control of Feral Cats. History tells us that disturbance of one component of the ecosystem will often provoke changes in other areas. The current intensive focus on Foxes demands careful monitoring of the general system as an early warning of developing problems. Study of the interactions between Foxes, Dingoes, Feral Cats and Rabbits are needed to discover the likely outcomes of control programs, particularly in the more arid regions where all four species coexist. Experimental reintroduction of yet untried species occupying niches yet to be examined by this technique may expose additional but more subtle threatening processes.