Does reducing grazing pressure or predation conserve kowaris? A case study at Diamantina National Park
John Augusteyn
A * , Maree Rich B , Chris Mitchell B , Eridani Mulder C , Barry Nolan D , Leong Lim E and Rhonda Melzer A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and Partnerships, PO Box 3130, Red Hill, Qld 4701, Australia.
B Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and Partnerships, PO Box 202, Longreach, Qld 4730, Australia.
C Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Wongalara Wildlife Sanctuary, PMB 162, Katherine, NT 0852, Australia.
D Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and Partnerships, PO Box 5332, Airlie Beach, Qld 4802, Australia.
E Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service, PO Box 281, Brooklyn, NSW 2083, Australia.
Australian Journal of Zoology 70(2) 56-73 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO22027
Submitted: 11 May 2022 Accepted: 15 September 2022 Published: 8 December 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
Livestock contributes to the decline of many species in Australia. However, they may have less impact in arid environments, where annual plant species dominate. Kowaris (Dasyuroides byrnei), a small carnivorous marsupial, living on Diamantina National Park were monitored to assess the success of ecosystem recovery following a reduction in cattle. Kowaris were found at 10 locations within the study area: five where they had been recorded prior to the area becoming a national park and five ‘new’ locations. No kowaris were found at one of the historical sites. The density was estimated to range from 1 to 2.5 kowaris per square kilometre from 2007 to 2009. The results suggest that the population likely increased following a reduction in grazing pressure. However, a boom in rodents and predators occurred during the study with a corresponding decline in kowari detections. Kowaris have not been detected at any of the study sites since 2012. These results suggest that management of top-down factors as well as bottom-up factors are required to conserve kowaris. The work further highlights the need for replicated, long-term studies if the interactions between complex ecological processes, at a landscape scale, are to be understood so that threatened species, like the kowari, can be managed effectively.
Keywords: arid zone, cat, cattle grazing, Dasyuroides byrnei, dingo, monitoring, predation, Rattus villosissimus, threatened species, top-down and bottom-up effects.
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