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Commercial Uses
Income obtained from harvesting or commercial use of pest animals can offset some management costs and achieve more cost-effective reduction in pest animal impact. In the past, there has been considerable harvesting of rabbits and foxes in Australia. However, the commercial offtake of these species has declined considerably in recent years. The decline in wild rabbit harvest is due to competition from the farmed rabbit industry and the impact of pest control activities, including biological control, on wild rabbit populations. The decline in fox harvesting is due primarily to that fact that demand for furs is declining world-wide and to competition from the farmed fur industry. Currently, the greatest potential for commercial use of introduced pest animals is the harvesting of feral goats and feral pigs. In some areas, commercial harvesting of macropods is economically viable as a management tool for overabundant populations.
The main issue in considering the use of pest animals is whether commercial harvest will reduce numbers to a level at which their impact is acceptable. This is quite possible for feral goats where mustering and water point trapping may reduce numbers to as low as one per square kilometre. Follow-up management such as shooting will reduce numbers even further.
Commercial use of wild animals may become an ongoing sustainable industry, possibly substituting for traditional industries such as sheep and cattle production in some areas. An example of this is commercial use of feral goats and kangaroos in the rangelands - the income derived from this activity potentially allows landholders to reduce their stocking rates to improve the sustainability of production.
However, in many key conservation areas, ongoing commercial use of pest animals is unlikely to be compatible with conservation objectives. For ongoing commercial use to be viable, targeted animals must be kept above a certain level to ensure ongoing availability of supply. At this level, these animals may still be having a significant and unacceptable impact on conservation values. Thus, whilst ongoing feral goat harvesting in the rangelands may be sustainable (particularly if it allows reduced stocking rates), it would be undesirable in a high conservation area such as the Flinders Ranges where feral goats need to be maintained below commercially viable levels.
BRS has produced a number of publications relating to commercial use of native and introduced wildlife and sustainable use of wildlife by indigenous peoples. These are outlined below.
Commercial Use of Wild Animals
Information on wild animal industries and their potential viability is contained in the BRS publication 'Commercial Use of Wild Animals' - Ramsay, B.J. 1994. (Downloadable version for this will be available soon).
Australian animals such as kangaroos, possums, crocodiles and emus, and introduced animals such as feral goats, horses and pigs are the basis of a significant commercial use industry.
Where they can be harvested humanely and, in the case of native animals, sustainably, wild animals can be profitable supplements or alternatives to domestic animals. Their commercial use can also contribute to pest management objectives.
The BRS publication Commercial Use of Wild Animals is the first comprehensive collection of reliable information on Australia's wild animal industries. It also provides a detailed analysis of the opportunities and impediments to commercialisation of these industries.
The book will be a valuable source of facts, figures and industry developments for anyone with an interest in wild animal use and management in Australia.
The Scientific, Economic and Social Issues of Commercial Use of Wild Animals in Australia
Choquenot, D., Caughley, J. and McLeod, S. (1998) Scientific, Economic and Social Issues of Commercial Use of Wild Animals in Australia. Bureau of Resource Sciences, Canberra.
The sustainable use of some species of wildlife is promoted as a means of conserving natural environments and arresting land degradation on agricultural lands in Australia.
Commercial use of wildlife potentially promotes conservation by providing landholders with the incentive and economic ability to maintain wildlife habitat and engage in more sustainable agricultural production.
Commercial harvesting may also provide a cost-effective mechanism for reducing the impact of introduced wildlife and overabundant native wildlife.
This publication reviews the suite of ecological and economic factors which influence the sustainability of wildlife harvesting (in terms of wildlife population stability) and the capacity of wildlife harvesting to contribute to more sustainable forms of land use.
Sustainable Use of Wildlife by Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islanders
M Bomford & J Caughley (eds) (1996). (Downloadable version will be available soon)
Harvesting wildlife or 'bush tucker' offers employment, improved nutrition, and fulfilment of cultural and spiritual needs for Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders on their traditional lands and seas. This book looks at ways to ensure that wildlife harvesting can meet these needs, while at the same time being sustainable and integrated with community goals for the conservation of rare and endangered species. It recognises that indigenous Australians have the ability and right to participate in environmental management.