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AUSTRALIAN NATURAL HISTORY Published Quarterly by the Australian Museum, College Street, Sydney Editor: F. H. TALBOT, Ph.D., F.L.S. Annual sub cription, $2.20 posted Assistant Editor: P. F. COLLIS Single copy, 50c (55c posted) VOL. 16, 0. 10 J U E 15, 1970 CONTENTS PAGE THE FUTURE OF WILDLIFE I AUSTRALIA-Dona/d F. McMichae/ 32 1 PO D LIFE IN AUSTRALIA-John Child 326 THE 8USJJFLY-R. D. Hughes 33 1 YEASTS-D. W. Kinsey 335 THE DEVO lA'< ''GREAT BARRIER R�:u'' OF WESTI:.RN AUSTRALIA-Pfli//ip £. P/a.lford . 339 PREJJJSTORJC PAPUA E 'GRAVJ G-J. P. WIIite, H. J. de S. Disney, J. C. >'aldii')'II 344 MOTII EGGS!-Noe/ McFar/and 346 BOOK REVIEWS . 325, 330 MEET OuR CoNTRIBUTORs 352 e PRO T COVER: An Australian Hair Seal or ea-lion, eophoca cinerea, supports itself vertically in the water while watching the photographer from a safe distance. These sea-lions, which occur only on islands off the coasts of South and Western Australia, arc being studied in Spencer Gulf, outh Australia, by a research team from the Australian Museum. [Photo: Howard Hughcs]. BACK COVER: A house pot from Aibom, Middle Sepik River, north ew Guinea. This lively, painted, pottery figure (Registration J o. E. 62362 in the Australian Museum's collection) is on exhibition in the Museum's Gallery of Melanesian Art. lt was purchased in 1964 by a Museum expedition which collected in the Sepik area. Such figures, alway sitting on an ill\•ertcd pot, are manufactured only at Aibom. The women, as is usual in Melane ia, make the pot itself, but only the men are allowed to make the anc('stor figure. The pot arc placed on top of the nooden pillars supporting the roof of the house tambaran, or men's cult house. [Photo: C. V. Turner.) Kinchega ational Park, about 75 miles southeast of Broken Hill, surrounds the Menindee Lake and borders the Darling River. After only 2 years of management by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. during which time stock have been excluded from the park, there is marked regeneration of the native vegetation. The park contains increasing numbers of Red Kangaroos and small populations of Euros and Grey Kangaroos. [Photo: Author.] THE FUTURE OF WILDLIFE IN AUSTRALIA By DONALD F. McMICHAEL Director. National Parks and Wildlife Service of N.S.W. ECE T years have witnessed a number number of university investigator� have R of events which give heart to those turned their attention to fundamental who believe that the survival of our wildlife. questions affecting the distribution and and its continued presence in close proximity abundance of animals and plants in nature. to our centres of population. are important This body of knowledge continues to for one reason or another. Perhaps the accumulate and, for the first time, Australians most significant have been the growth of are now in a position to take positive steps the CSI RO's Division of Wildlife Research fo r the preservation of at least some wildlife and its steady expansion of investigations species with a fa ir degree of certainty that into the biology of native species other than those steps will be effective. pests. The various State agencies concerned Another ignificant development of recent with fauna have also expanded their research years has been the proliferation and growth effort in recent years. and an increasing of organized groups and societies interested Australian Natural Hisrory Page 321 in the future of Australian wildlife. There appropriate areas in their natural state as have been seemingly spontaneous awakenings sanctuaries for wildlife and to manage those of concern in towns and districts all over areas so that their habitat value would not Australia, reflected in such bodies as the be lost, but preferably improved. At the many fauna and flora conservation societie , same time, field officers of the Panel began a the societies for growing Australian plants, programme of public education in the value field naturalists' clubs, and others with of wildlife, and of field surveys to determine special interests, such as the creation of the status of plant and animal communitie fauna and flora reserves or the preservation throughout the State as a forerunner to of particular species or environments. improved management. National Parks and Wildlife Act Recent progress Governments respond to public opinion, in 1967, the National Parks and Wildlife and the clearly expressed interest of these Act was passed, which set up the National Australians has been reflected during the Parks and Wildlife Service and transferred past few years in a renewed activity among to the Director of National Parks and the various State and Territorial Governments Wildlife the powers and duties of the Chief in the legislative and administrative fields. Guardian and the Fauna Protection Panel. Almost all the States have made considerable The decision to amalgamate the National progress during recent years in the permanent Parks and Wildlife administration, which reservation of parks and reserves which will previously had rested in different Government help to preserve wildlife habitat. More Departments, was made in recognition of professionally trained staffare being recruited the fa ct that areas permanently reserved as to lay down guidelines for wildlife manage National Parks were essentially similar to ment and to elect those areas of habitat Nature Reserves, in that they preserved large which should be given reserve status. areas of natural environment and thus maintained significant wildlife populations. In New South Wale , wildlife management The staff of the Fauna Protection Panel commenced in a serious way during the were absorbed into the ational Parks and 1940's with the establishment of the Fauna Wildlife Service, and action for the con Protection Panel and the appointment of a servation of wildlife was strengthened by Chief Guardian of Fauna. The latter post the addition of specialists in new area was held with distinction for years by Alien selection and management planning. A. Strom, who was able to recruit a small Additional biologists and field officers have but dedicated staff of field assistants to also been recruited to strengthen the basic implement a forward-looking programme of fact-finding effort and new management conservation of the wildlife resource. techniques are being introduced. Mr Strom Recognizing that the future abundance of subsequently returned to the Department of our native plants and animals was not going Education to promote the important work of to be assured by protective legislation alone. conservation education in the schools, and but would only be guaranteed by habitat Mr W. S. Steel, O.B.E., formerly Director of preservation, the Panel set about the Fisheries and Game for the African State of establishment of a system of Fauna Reserves Zambia, joined the Service as Assistant (subsequently retitled, more appropriately, Director responsible for wildlife matter . Nature Reserves). The Fauna Protection Act allowed the permanent reservation of Crown lands for this purpose, and, once The kangaroo controversy established, such reserved land could only Perhaps the most controversial aspect or be alienated by act of Parliament. Again wildlife in Australia today is that of the recognizing that wildlife habitat in sufficient kangaroo populations of the inland areas, quantity could not be secured only by the and the various developments outlined above Nature Reserve system, which was virtually are epitomized by the story of kangaroo limited to available Crown land, the Panel management in New South Wales. Apart pursued the setting up of an extensive from the dingo, possibly no other group of Wildlife Refuge system, under which owners animals is so urrounded by a mass of fact of freehold land voluntarily agreed to retain and fantasy. emotion. and cold-blooded Page 322 June, 1970 unconcern as are the kangaroo , yet no other division of ew South Wales a to warrant animals are under uch inten ive management the declaration of short "open season " in in thi State or are more likely to urvive a which they could be killed freely, and the a part of our rural environment. annual reduction in their number kept the Kangaroo are the largest marsupial populations overall at reasonable level . and range widely over the continent. However, the animals which were killed Ignoring the maller wallabie and paddy were not utilized for the most part, but melon , the kangaroos include four main simply left to rot where they had fa llen. A pecie -the Ea tern Grey or Forre ter, an few professional hunter were licen ed to inhabitant of the coastal forests of south take limited number of kangaroo for the ea tern Australia ; the Western Grey, which skin and fur trade. ranges widely from Western Australia to South Australia; the Euro or Wallaroo, Licences replace open seasons an inhabitant of fo rested hills and mountain About 1959 the Fauna Protection Panel country throughout Australia, and the Red decided that more preci e control over the Kangaroo, which lives on the inland plain animals' numbers wa desirable, and throughout the continent. In New South abandoned the open-season ystem in favour Wales, the Euro is reasonably abundant, and of the issuing of licences to specific propertie it habitat i unlikely to be seriously whose owners or manager could show that diminished because of its general unsuitability the numbers of kangaroo were so great as for other purpo es. The Euro is not a to be causing damage to pasture , crop . ignificant pest pecies on rural properties or other as ets. uch a fences. The e in N.S.W., and is not hunted commercially. licences, known as Section 25A licence . The two species which predominate in public were issued, theoretically, only when the thinking are the Red and the Eastern Grey Panel wa convinced that numbers were too the most prolific species, mo t commonly great and damage was being done, but lack een, and mo t frequently giving ri e to of sufficient staff meant that a preci e grievance on the part of the rural community as es ment could seldom be made.