Design of aerial surveys for population estimation and the management of macropods in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 331 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. Cairns ◽  
G. W. Lollback ◽  
N. Payne
Keyword(s):  
Survey Design ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Line Transect ◽  
Design Algorithm ◽  
Management Zones ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Grey Kangaroo ◽  
Harvest Quotas

As part of a kangaroo management program, eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) and common wallaroos (M. robustus robustus) are harvested from three kangaroo management zones in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. To set sustainable harvest quotas, it is necessary to obtain reasonably accurate estimates of the sizes of the populations of these two species of macropod. Recently, this has been done on two occasions using helicopter line-transect surveys. For the most recent of these surveys, conducted in 2004, each management zone was subdivided into three strata of increasing kangaroo density and the surveys were designed in relation to this stratification using an automated survey design algorithm. The results of the surveys were that eastern grey kangaroo densities were estimated as 8.11 ± 1.81 km–2 in the Glen Innes zone, 10.23 ± 2.41 km–2 in the Armidale zone and 4.82 ± 0.87 km–2 in the Upper Hunter zone. Wallaroo densities for these three zones were 3.06 ± 0.73 km–2, 5.68 ± 3.45 km–2 and 4.40 ± 1.01 km–2 respectively. The wallaroo densities were determined by multiplying the initial estimated densities by a correction factor of 1.85. Across the three kangaroo management zones, eastern grey kangaroo densities did not change in any significant way between the two surveys. This was also the case for wallaroos in the Glen Innes and Armidale zones. Wallaroo density in the Upper Hunter zone, however, increased significantly between the two surveys. Over a decade before these surveys were conducted, a series of ground surveys using walked line-transect sampling were undertaken. The density estimates derived from the helicopter surveys proved to be broadly comparable to those derived from the ground surveys, suggesting that conducting helicopter line-transect surveys designed using the method deployed here is effective in producing population estimates for the purpose of kangaroo management.

Market Forces and Kangaroos: The New South Wales Kangaroo Management Plan

2006 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-304
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Mills
Keyword(s):  
Wildlife Management ◽  
Habitat Management ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Market Forces ◽  
Management Zones ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Economic Framework ◽  
South Wales

AbstractIn contemporary times, wildlife managers attempt to provide solutions to problems arising from conflicting uses of the environment by humans and nonhuman animals. Within the Kangaroo Management Zones of New South Wales (NSW), the commercial culling "solution" is one such attempt to perpetuate kangaroo populations on pastoral land while supporting farmers in continuing inefficient sheep farming. Because wildlife management rests on a distinction between the "nature" of humans and animals, then humanist attention to standards of individual welfare need not interrupt the process whereby individual animals are killed within an economic framework designed to improve habitat management for the conservation of their populations. Building on Thorne's (1998) discussion of the meanings scripted onto individual kangaroo bodies, this paper explores the utilitarian underpinnings of the commercialization approach and considers the ethical implications of constructing the population as resource, even if this results in an improvement in the welfare of individual kangaroos.

The Diet of the Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Wallaroo in Areas of Improved and Native Pasture in the New England Tablelands.

1983 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 203 ◽  
Author(s):  
RJ Taylor
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Grey Kangaroo ◽  
Native Pasture ◽  
Tussock Grasses

The diet of the eastern grey kangaroo and wallaroo was compared at 2 sites, Lana and Newsholme, in the New England tablelands of New South Wales. At Lana, the pastures had been fertilized for 20 yr and were dominated by low-fibre grasses such as Bothriochloa, Eragrostis, Sporobolus, Microlaena, Danthonia and Vulpia; some paddocks had been sown with introduced grasses, Phalaris, Festuca and lucerne. Coarse tussock grasses such as Poa spp., Stipa and Danthonia pallida predominated at Newsholme. The major difference in the diet of the 2 spp. was in winter when individuals on the unimproved area at Newsholme ate a higher proportion of tussock grasses and less low-fibre grass. Both spp. consistently selected for low-fibre grass leaf; they did not differ in their use of plant parts. The diets contained many plant spp. in common, although there were major differences in the use of several spp. The plant spp. favoured only by the wallaroo were of a higher quality than those favoured only by the grew kangaroo.

New South Wales Kangaroo Management Program: 2002 and beyond..

2004 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
JH Gilroy
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Planning ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Strategic Planning Process ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Time Specific

Immediately following the review of the New South Wales (NSW) Kangaroo Management Program (KMP) in 1997, the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service initiated a strategic planning process involving the NSW Kangaroo Management Advisory Committee. In April 2000 the strategic planning process progressed into a full review of the KMP 1998-2002 and various reports were commissioned. The draft KMP 2002-2006 was released for public comment on 14 July 2001. Key issues considered when preparing the new program were the legislative framework, the inclusion of goals and objectives that can be audited, the merits of damage mitigation as a rationale for commercial kangaroo use and the format and writing style of the KMP 1998-2002. Following analysis of submissions on the draft KMP 2002-2006, the program was finalised and submitted to the Australian Commonwealth Government for approval. The KMP 2002-2006 was approved by the Commonwealth and is valid from 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2006. The KMP 2002-2006 has a single overarching goal to maintain viable populations of kangaroos throughout their ranges in accordance with the principles of ecologically sustainable development. This goal is serviced by six new management-based objectives, each of which is covered by a specific section in the new management program. The new management program no longer relies on identification of damage as justification for commercial kangaroo use, and facility for an adaptive management approach has been added for the first time. Specific arrangements for ongoing program audits, periodic full program reviews and community awareness and participation are further additions to the new management program.

Group SIze in the Eastern Grey Kangaroo, Macropus giganteus, and the Wallaroo, Macropus robustus

1982 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 229 ◽  
Author(s):  
RJ Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Group Size ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Frequency Of Occurrence ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Grey Kangaroo ◽  
North Eastern

Data were collected on the occurrence of eastern grey kangaroos and wallaroos in groups on two properties (Lana and Newholme) in north-eastern New South Wales. The density of both species was higher on Lana than on Newholme. The frequency of occurrence of groups of different size was significantly different from that expected if the occurrence was random for both species. For the grey kangaroo on Lana, mean group size was smaller during early morning than during the rest of the day. Mean group size was significantly greater on Lana than on Newholme for both species, and smaller for wallaroos than for grey kangaroos on both properties. For both species, mean group size was significantly correlated with the density of kangaroos in each habitat.

Abundane of macropods in north-eastern New South Wales, and the logistics of broad-scale ground surveys

1995 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 757 ◽  
Author(s):  
CJ Southwell ◽  
KE Weaver ◽  
SC Cairns ◽  
AR Pople ◽  
AN Gordon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Line Transect ◽  
Western Region ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Commercial Harvest ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
The Western Region ◽  
Broad Scale

A broad-scale ground survey of macropod abundance in north-eastern New South Wales was undertaken in 1989-90. The survey area was stratified into an eastern and western region, and within regions by habitat on the basis of vegetation and topographic criteria. Macropod density in each stratum was estimated from walked line transect counts for five species: Macropus giganteus, Macropus robustus, Macropus parryi, Macropus rufogriseus and Wallabia bicolor. Within sampled strata, macropod density was substantially higher in the western region than in the eastern region. Macropus parryi occurred in only trace numbers in the eastern region, with the number of sightings too small for reliable density estimation. No M. parryi were sighted in the western region. Macropus giganteus and M. rufogriseus were the dominant species in sampled strata in the eastern region, while M. giganteus and M. robustus were dominant in the west. Overall, pre-survey activities of habitat digitising and liaison with landholders required approximately the same effort as actual survey work. Liaison with landholders required relatively more time in the eastern region, where human population was higher, than in the western region. Incomplete coverage of planned transect routes, due mainly to impenetrable vegetation, lead to a positive bias of no more than 10-20% in population estimation for M. giganteus and M. robustus, and an unknown bias for the other species. The use of broad vegetation information on 1 : 100 000 map sheets for habitat stratification limited the scale at which analysis of sightability could be undertaken. Macropus giganteus and M. robustus are commercially harvested in the western region. Annual commercial harvest rates in the three years prior to the survey were conservatively estimated to be less than 0.9% for M. robustus and less than 5.4% for M. giganteus.

scholarly journals Trends and risk factors for human Q fever in Australia, 1991–2014

2016 ◽  
Vol 145 (4) ◽  
pp. 787-795 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. S. SLOAN-GARDNER ◽  
P. D. MASSEY ◽  
P. HUTCHINSON ◽  
K. KNOPE ◽  
E. FEARNLEY
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Notification Rate ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Risk Factor Data ◽  
Factor Data

SUMMARYAustralian abattoir workers, farmers, veterinarians and people handling animal birthing products or slaughtering animals continue to be at high risk of Q fever despite an effective vaccine being available. National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System data were analysed for the period 1991–2014, along with enhanced risk factor data from notified cases in the states of New South Wales and Queensland, to examine changes in the epidemiology of Q fever in Australia. The national Q fever notification rate reduced by 20% [incident rate ratio (IRR) 0·82] following the end of the National Q fever Management Program in 2006, and has increased since 2009 (IRR 1·01–1·34). Highest rates were in males aged 40–59 years (5·9/100 000) and 87% of Q fever cases occurred in New South Wales and Queensland. The age of Q fever cases and proportion of females increased over the study period. Based on the enhanced risk factor data, the most frequently listed occupation for Q fever cases involved contact with livestock, followed by ‘no known risk’ occupations. More complete and comparable enhanced risk factor data, at the State/Territory and national levels, would aid in further understanding of the epidemiology of Q fever.

Assessing Harvested Populations of the Euro (Macropus robustus erubescens) in the Barrier Ranges of Western New South Wales.

1999 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 165
Author(s):  
C.J. Southwell ◽  
N. Sheppard
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Line Transect ◽  
Harvest Management ◽  
Line Transect Survey ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Commercial Harvesting

Macropus robustus is one of several macropod species harvested commercially in Australia. In New South Wales the major areas where M. robustus impacts on land management practices, and hence harvesting occurs, are the New England region in the northeast, where the subspecies M. robustus robustus (the Wallaroo) occurs, and the Barrier Ranges region in the west, where the subspecies M. r. erubescens (the Euro) occurs. Assessing the size and trend of populations is an important aspect of harvest management. There has been no assessment of M. r. erubescens population size or trend in the Barrier Ranges. An aerial line transect survey in a 3350 km survey area encompassing the Barrier Ranges returned an estimated population size of 18,000 ±3,000 (SE) animals. This estimate is likely to be substantially negatively biased. Following this survey, a quota (the maximum number of animals that can be taken in a year) of 2400 was set for commercial harvesting of M r. erubescens in the Barrier Ranges region, representing a maximum annual harvest rate of 13%. Recommendations for improved methodology to reduce bias in future surveys are provided.

Harvesting Kangaroos in New South Wales

1977 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 207 ◽  
Author(s):  
RG Sinclair
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Management System ◽  
Standing Crop ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Red Kangaroo ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Grey Kangaroo ◽  
Future Management

In New South Wales the red kangaroo, Megaleia rufa (Desmarest), and the two species of grey kangaroo, Macropus giganteus Shaw and M. fuliginosus (Desmarest), are harvested commercially. In 1975 the National Parks and Wildlife Service issued permits for 239,764 kangaroos to be shot, but only 48,200 red and 70,200 grey kangaroos were taken. Over western New South Wales the numbers shot represented only 2.3% of the reds and 3.8% of the greys. Most of the harvesting was in areas where kangaroos were abundant. Where densities were low few animals were shot but they accounted for a high proportion of the standing crop-in some areas over 15%. Possible reasons for this under the present management system are discussed, together with the implications for future management.

Population density of eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) in a periurban matrix at Coffs Harbour, New South Wales

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Henderson ◽  
Rajanathan Rajaratnam ◽  
Karl Vernes
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Urban Region ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Grey Kangaroo ◽  
Direct Counts

We surveyed eastern grey kangaroos at four locations at the Northern Beaches region of Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, to estimate densities in this growing peri-urban region. This region is considered a regional hotspot for human–kangaroo conflict, with numerous kangaroo-related incidents in recent years. Direct counts of kangaroos were undertaken every two months during 2016. Kangaroo densities varied between sites, ranging from 0.2 individuals ha–1 to 4.9 individuals ha–1. Because no estimates of population density exist for the Northern Beaches, our results assisted the development of a regional kangaroo management plan, and contribute to a broader understanding of eastern grey kangaroo densities in peri-urban areas.

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