More than just the animals: opportunities and costs of reintroducing threatened black-footed rock-wallabies to remote Indigenous land
Luke Ireland
A G , Magdalena Zabek A , Carolina Galindez-Silva A , Sara Weir A , Rebecca West B , Liberty Olds C , Brett Backhouse D , Peter Copley E and John Read F
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Land Management, PMB 227, Umuwa via Alice Springs, NT 0872, Australia.
B The University of New South Wales, High Street, Kensington, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
C Zoos SA, Frome Road, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia.
D Natural Resources Alinytjara Wilurara, 50B McKenzie Street, Ceduna, SA 5690, Australia.
E Department of Environment and Natural Resources, GPO Box 1047 Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia.
F Ecological Horizons, PO Box 207, Kimba, SA 5641, Australia.
G Corresponding author. Email: lukeireland83@gmail.com
Pacific Conservation Biology 24(4) 388-396 https://doi.org/10.1071/PC17059
Submitted: 21 December 2017 Accepted: 10 June 2018 Published: 3 July 2018
Abstract
Conservation activities, including translocations of threatened species, are increasingly important priorities for conserving biodiversity and culture on Indigenous-managed lands, which occupy over 20% of the Australian landmass. In the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands of north-western South Australia, the Warru Recovery Team reintroduced the threatened black-footed rock-wallaby (warru) to Wamitjara in May 2018. We outline the unique planning and logistical issues inherent in securing support and involvement of Traditional Owners and Indigenous rangers for predator, weed and fire management, cross-fostering, captive breeding, monitoring and translocation of the rock-wallabies. Altogether, the project cost AU$3.86 million (actual – AU$1.86 million, in kind – AU$2.00 million) over 10 years of preparation and one year of post-translocation monitoring. This consisted of AU$1.18 million for cross-fostering and captive breeding at Monarto Zoo and a further AU$0.55 million for the construction and maintenance of a fenced exclosure in the APY Lands. It is estimated that AU$0.51 million of the total costs were directly attributed to working remote and Indigenous-owned land, with most of the remaining costs typical of other reintroduction programs. Large-scale reintroduction opportunities on Indigenous-managed land can provide considerable conservation outcomes as well as delivering cultural objectives and supporting employment.
Additional keywords: desert, Indigenous communities, mammals, threatened species, wildlife management.
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