Conservation benefit from harvesting kangaroos: status report at the start of a new millennium A Paper to stimulate discussion and research

摘要: Over the last twenty years, kangaroo harvesting has gained much greater public acceptance and risen in monetary value. However, most landholders still regard kangaroos mainly as pests, are a long way from making enough money to encourage any shift away their focus on sheep.Yet meat is now sold legally for human consumption all Australian States common restaurant menus, while its export rising steadily. Extensive aerial surveys have established abundance of three large species resilience harvesting. A small number benefiting kangaroos, either by selling access shooters/processors or through direct involvement licensed operators.The International Union Conservation Nature supported concept achieving conservation benefits sustainable use wildlife, this been incorporated into management programs (for leather meat) governments. Despite these positives, low price meat, which not found place it deserves international game market, major impediment implementing “sheep replacement therapy rangelands”, only when prices rise significantly will choose reduce sheep numbers invest hopes kangaroos. Meanwhile, land degradation continues unabated coarse fibre wool, encouraging woolgrowers rangelands overstock, also provide stimulus diversify. Alarmingly, many choosing diversify goats which, though profitable short term, extend damage done sheep. Low wool amplify clamour control, governments responding researching designed numbers. South Australia program if implemented fully, would 60%. In Queensland NSW, research projects examining more effective ways These goals reflect an folklore that competition compromises production markedly reduces carrying capacity, even scientific evidence lacking. But reducing bring anticipated woolgrowers, because at typical densities smaller component total grazing pressure (TGP) than generally assumed. This factor 0.7 DSE (dry equivalent), translated forage lost sheep, overestimate. Taking body weights account should be about 0.4