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IR 437 Koalas and Habitat Management on Kangaroo Island

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IR 437 Koalas and Habitat Management on Kangaroo Island internal report 437 Koalas and habitat management on Kangaroo Island Seminar Seminar presented at Northern Territory University, 24 April 2003, and at Environmental Research Institute of the Supervising Scientist, 29 April 2003 P Bayliss & P Masters June 2003 supervising scientist Koalas and habitat management on Kangaroo Island Seminar presented at Northern Territory University, 24 April 2003, and at Environmental Research Institute of the Supervising Scientist, 29 April 2003 P Bayliss1 & P Masters2 1 Ecological Risk Assessment Environmental Research Institute of the Supervising Scientist GPO Box 461, Darwin NT 0801 2 South Australia Department of the Environment and Heritage 37 Dauncey Street, Kingscote, South Australia 5223 June 2003 Registry File SG2002/0187 ii Contents Abstract 1 Powerpoint presentation 2 iii Powerpoint slides Koalas & HabitatHabitat Management KangarooKangaroo Island Peter Bayliss (eriss) & Pip Masters (SA DEH) Take Home Messages • Wildlife management is about making value judgements – aesthetic & technical • Two key knowledge needs – how people value wildlife & make decisions – an understanding of ecosystem dynamics 1 SupervisingSupervising Scientist Division • Two branches ¾ Environmental Research Institute of the Supervising Scientist (ERISS) – Environmental protection from impacts of U-mining – Ecology & conservation of tropical wetlands ¾ Office of the Supervising Scientist (OSS) – Supervision, audit & policy w.r.t. U-mining in ARR SeminarSeminar OutlineOutline • Pest control background – Herbivore eruptions – Managing overabundance – Bioeconomic framework • Koalas on KI • Link with possums in NZ • KI koalas – where to next? 2 BACKGROUNDBACKGROUND PestPest ControlControl Herbivores liberated on islands erupt then crash Vegetation (food) mirrors reciprocal trend 10 8 Herbivores • Moose Ilse Royal 6 • Possums NZ 4 • Several ungulate sp NZ 2 Vegetation • Sheep Aust rangelands Plant & herbivore density herbivore & Plant 0 0 102030405060 Time (year) Are these herbivores “overabundant” – what’s the reference point? 3 What is “Overabundance” • Defined as too many animals but the rigor ends here • Ge n e ra lly 4 c la s s e s (Ca ug h le y 1981) CLAS S 1: Animals threaten human life or livelihood CLASS 2: Animals depress abundance favoured species CLASS 3: Too many animals for their own good CLAS S 4: The ecological s ystem is off its equilibrium • All apply to koalas on Kangaroo Island Definition of “damage” caused by Class 1 & 2 overabundance • All animals have an impact on their consumptive resources (food & shelter) • Damage occurs when impact causes economic or environmental harm • How one defines “harm” depends on how one makes a living 4 Managing Pest Impacts z Involves making c hoices – how much management intervention at what cost ($) ? – what benefit is delivered? z Challenge is to make choices that are – sensible – pragmatic – defensible z Requires benefits & costs to be balanced at least – past focus on “activity-based” management – new focus on “damage-based” management within a budget – involves complex decision making - use modelling tools Bioeconomic Modelling Pest control Outputs Economic inputs Pest density (additional income or (costs of control) improved public asset) Damage reduction Benefit/cost analysis Monetary benefit/cost analysis Benefit maximisation Cost minimisation 5 There are 3 key sub - models 1. Damage – pest density relationship 2. Exponential cost-of-control curve 3. Population growth response 1. Damage – density relationship 160 140 120 100 Socially acceptable? 80 60 40 Threshold 20 Level of DamageLevel of 0 024681012 Pe st Dens ity 6 2. Cost - of - control curve Choosing the right “Target Density” Threshold density Socially acceptable damage-density level TARGET DENSITY Buffalo – Arnhem Land Bayliss (1985) 3. Population growth response 1.6 1.4 1.2 • Logistic population growth 2 st 1.0 model as 1 approx 0.8 0.6 • Rapid recovery rate for pest 0.4 species 0.2 Density feralkm / 0.0 024681012• Manage control interval (yrs) & Years initial & maintenance kill rate 1.6 1. 6 1.4 1. 4 1.2 initial control 1. 2 2 2 1.0 1. 0 0.8 0. 8 0.6 0. 6 0.4 0. 4 0.2 0. 2 Density feral / km feral Density Density feral / km maintenance control 0.0 0. 0 024681012 024681012 Years Years 7 Target density & control technology MORTALITY CONTROL FERTILITY CONTROL + NUMBERS NUMBERS TI ME TI ME INTEGRATED CONTROL = = SUSTAINED SUPPRESSION NUMBERS TI ME Summary How to manage damage • Clearly define damage caused by overabundance • Identify the damage - density "threshold" • Identify a socially acceptable level of damage & corresponding animal density • Use bioeconomic & ecological frameworks (models) to guide control program cost - effectively 8 KOALASKOALAS KANGAROO ISLAND KANGAROO ISLAND SOUTH AUSTRALIA • Jewel in the crown of conservation lands in SA • Koala is only introduced major animal pes t species 10 THE STORY • Koalas introduced KI 1925 in attempt save species thought to be diminishing on mainland (85 released: 1923 – 1964) THE STORY • Populations flourished – by 1965 severe over-browsing damage to prefered food trees (e.g. Manna gum – Eucalyptus viminalis) 10 THE MAIN IS S UE S • Koalas quickly defoliate trees – now a “threatening process” to large areas of Eucalypt forests • High risk of local extinction of preferred species • Closest rival in reputation is introduced possum in NZ • 1996 – SA Koala Task Force & National Koala Conservation S trategy established SA Koala task Force Recommendations (Possingham et al. 1996) • Do nothing • Protect & restore degraded habitat • S uppress fertility via introduction of Chlamydia virus (suggested by Koala Foundation) • S uppress fertility by surgica l or hormona l methods • Translocate surplus animals to other sites • Culling 11 BUT .... different perceptions of value of koalas • Koalas - high & favourable profile in the Australia physch • Ob vious tou ris t be n e fits to KI ($$$$) • But cause tree damage – so big conflict in values • Determines how they are managed Response to SA Koala task Force Recommendations • Do nothing – not an option • Chlamydia rejected on animal welfare grounds • Adverse national & international reaction to culling – forget totally • No room for translocations on KI, shift some to SA mainland • Maintain low koala densities on KI via fertility control • Implement habitat protection & restoration program on KI • Yes - develop community education program • Yes - expand research & management effort (1996-2000) 12 What happened next ? • Politics took over – urgent action required • Management was activity-orientated, not strategic • e.g. in absence reliable information, arbitrary sterilisation (e.g. 70% pop) & translocation targets were set Koala Rescue Program • Funds available to research tree damage & manage koala populations on KI by surgical sterilisation & translocation • Called “Koala Rescue” Program not “Habitat Rescue” 13 Cos t to Public ? • In 1 year alone – 1997/98 FY • 3,396 sterilised • 1,105 relocated off Kangaroo Island • Total cost = $300,00 or $131 / koala Is the program working? • Action pla n ba s ed on initia l pop es tima tes for Cygnet R iver catchment (most browsing damage) = 3,000 – 5,000 koa la s • Other ca tchments not surve yed – whe n include d = 26,000 (i.e. 5 – 9 times extent of perceived problem) • Rapidly running out of sites on mainland to dump sterilised koalas from KI • Answer up front: locally yes, globally no – unsustainable 14 Then what happened ? • P rogra m revie wed 2000 - request to Ma rs upia l CR C to: – analyse all available information on browse damage (1996 - 2000) – help estimate koala densities island-wide – develop qua ntita tive decis ions s upport tools (bioeconomic models , ecological risk assessment) to guide strategic management • Until this request no previous a na lysis of informa tion ma de because of pressures of operational actvities • Results follow Ma n a g e m e n t D a ta • R e c e nt (1996 – 2000) • His toric a l (1925 – 1995) 15 Funding allocated to koala management on Kangaroo Island (1996 - 2001) Management Activity 1996/97 1997/98 1998/99 1999/00 2000/01 TOTAL Fertility control $190,000 $150,000 $155,000 $170,000 - $665,000 Coordination & Monitoring $75,000 $70,000 $20,000 $30,000 $15,000 $210,000 Translocation $25,000 $50,000 $15,000 --$90,000 Community education $45,000 $30,000 $10,000 --$85,000 Island wide pop estimate - - - - $185,000 $185,000 & program review TOTAL $335,000 $300,000 $200,000 $200,000 $200,000 $1.235M Koala population estimate (& SE%) per catchment (# sample sites) on Kangaroo Island (2000) Catc hment Population Standard Error (number of sites) estimate (%) North Coa s t (25) 5,636 31 S ou th We s t (22) 5,884 30 Eleanor-Timber Ck (24) 5,196 21 Finders Chase NP (21) 2,993 31 Cyg n e t R iv er (27) 5,442 31 TOTAL (119) 25,871 12 P re-1996 e s tim a te 3,000 – 5,000 None 16 Predicted extinction rates of Manna gum trees in management units if no intervention (from 2000) Management Koala density % Manna gum with Years to all trees Unit Nos / ha <%50 canopy cover severely damaged Flinders Chase 5.01 94 2 Timber-Creek 1.46 75 9 North Coast 1.64 79 7.5 Cygnet River 1.85 60 15 South west - 90 3.5 Browse damage classes & associated koala population estimates (1996-1999) • 119 sites – mark-recapture “double count” method used in sites (va rying 1-10 ha ) to es tima te koa la dens ity • Koa las tagged, sexed, aged, weighed, sterilised & released or sterilised & tra nsloca ted • All species of trees counted & classified according to damage Class 1: Crown normal (no visible signs) Class 2: Thinning of crown (up to 50% defoliation) Class 3: Crown sparse (50-80% defoliation) Class 4: > 80% defolia tion, predomina nt epicormic growth Class 5: Crown absent, tree dead 17 Scotch Thistle Flat – Flinders Chase Na tiona l P a rk, Ka ng a roo Is la nd (1964 – 2000) Scotch Thistle Flat - Proportion trees severely defoliated (class 5 candidates, won't recover) 1.0 0.8 P = 0.03T 0.6 (R2 = 0.95, n= 8, P<0.001) 0.4 Proportion (P) Proportion 0.2 0.0 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Years since 1963 (T) • 47 koalas released in 1964 • 35 years to extinction of Manna gum habitat at 3% p.a.
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