.svg){kind=icon}
Abstract:
The management of feral camels in Australia presents many challenges. Camels are widely distributed across the rangelands of Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland and currently occupy a total area of about 3 million square kilometres. Many of the areas inhabited by camels are remote and hard to access by vehicle. The current population is estimated to be more than one million and the number of camels is doubling every eight years (Edwards et al. 2004). Camels are very mobile animals and can move hundreds of kilometres over just a few days. At current densities camels have demonstrable impacts on production, environmental and cultural values in many parts of their range. Current management approaches are largely small scale and ad hoc and do little to reduce populations or mitigate impacts. The Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre through the Natural Heritage Trust is developing a cross-jurisdictional approach to the management of feral camels. The project is examining stakeholder attitudes to feral camels, collating information on the impacts of feral camels, examining the legislative framework governing the ownership, use and management of feral camels and exploring options for cross-border management of feral camels, including existing and potential methods of population control. In this paper we outline the structure of the research project and some of the approaches being taken in developing the national approach.
