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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 36(6)

Fencing artificial waterpoints failed to influence density and distribution of red kangaroos (Macropus rufus)

Y. Fukuda A B , H. I. McCallum A , G. C. Grigg A and A. R. Pople A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: yuki_fukuda@hotmail.com

Wildlife Research 36(6) 457-465 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR08122
Submitted: 2 September 2008  Accepted: 22 May 2009   Published: 29 September 2009

Abstract

Provision of artificial waterpoints in Australian rangelands has resulted in an increase in the range and density of kangaroos. At high densities, kangaroos can inhibit vegetation regeneration, particularly in some protected areas where harvesting is prohibited. Fencing off waterpoints has been proposed to limit these impacts. Our aim was to determine whether fencing off waterpoints during a drought (when kangaroos would be especially water-limited) would influence the density and distribution of red kangaroos (Macropus rufus). Two waterpoints were fenced within the first 6 months of the 27-month study and a further two waterpoints were kept unfenced as controls in Idalia National Park, western Queensland. We estimated kangaroo densities around waterpoints from walked line-transect counts, and their grazing distribution from dung-pellet counts. Fencing off waterpoints failed to influence either the density or distribution up to 4 km from the waterpoints. Our results indicate that food availability, rather than the location of waterpoints, determines kangaroo distribution. Few areas in the rangelands are beyond kangaroos’ convenient reach from permanent waterpoints. Therefore, fencing off waterpoints without explicitly considering the spatial context in relation to other available water sources will fail to achieve vegetation regeneration.


Acknowledgements

We express our gratitude to the park rangers, C. and M. Morgan, and to the many volunteers who assisted with field work. We thank M. Laidlaw for her help on our study map. We also thank G. Lundie-Jenkins for providing information on kangaroo density estimates and the QPWS for providing field accommodation. We are grateful to Drs K. McConkey, G. Norbury and A. Smyth, and three anonymous reviewers for their useful comments on our manuscript. We acknowledge financial support from an ARC Linkage Grant to H. Possingham, G. Grigg and S. Phinn and also from the School of Integrative Biology, the University of Queensland.


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