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For more information on these services, visit the National Relay Service page. 1 CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 4 2 PURPOSE OF THIS MANAGEMENT PLAN ................................................................. 6 2.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 6 2.2 Purpose of the management plan ........................................................................... 6 2.3 Implementation of the management plan .............................................................. 7 3 KANGAROOS IN THE ACT ........................................................................................ 9 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 9 3.2 Species description .................................................................................................. 9 3.3 Species distribution .................................................................................................. 9 3.4 Conservation status ................................................................................................. 9 3.5 Biology and ecology - summary ............................................................................. 10 3.6 Habitat .................................................................................................................... 11 3.7 Impacts of Eastern Grey Kangaroos ...................................................................... 11 3.8 Environmental impacts .......................................................................................... 12 3.8.1 Extinction processes ................................................................................................ 13 3.8.2 Conservation of grassy ecological communities and species .................................. 14 3.8.3 Impacts of high density populations of Eastern Grey Kangaroos on fauna species ..................................................................................................................... 16 3.8.4 Impacts of high density populations of kangaroos on flora species ....................... 21 3.8.5 Impacts of high density populations of kangaroos on ecosystem function ............ 23 3.9 Economic impacts .................................................................................................. 24 3.9.1 Impacts of kangaroos on rural and other lands ...................................................... 24 3.9.2 Impacts of kangaroos on government horse paddocks .......................................... 25 3.9.3 Impacts of collisions between vehicles and kangaroos .......................................... 26 3.10 Social impacts ........................................................................................................ 27 4 GOALS, PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES ........................................................................ 28 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 28 4.2 Principles ................................................................................................................ 28 4.2.1 Evidence-based management ................................................................................. 29 4.3 Policies ................................................................................................................... 29 4.3.1 Kangaroo welfare .................................................................................................... 29 4.3.2 Managing interactions between humans and kangaroos ....................................... 34 4.3.3 Managing kangaroo densities ................................................................................. 35 4.3.4 Managing captive populations ................................................................................ 41 5 MANAGING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF KANGAROOS IN GRASSY ECOSYSTEMS ........................................................................................................ 43 5.1 The conservation culling program in the ACT ....................................................... 43 5.2 The purpose of the conservation culling program ................................................ 45 5.3 Grassland target densities ................................................................................... 45 5.3.1 Allowing for other forms of herbage mass removal ............................................... 46 5.3.2 Kangaroo Management Units ................................................................................. 46 5.4 Area specific management policies ....................................................................... 47 5.4.1 Public Land .............................................................................................................. 48 5.4.2 National Land .......................................................................................................... 50 5.4.3 Greenfield development sites ................................................................................. 50 5.4.4 Other land ............................................................................................................... 51 2 6 MANAGING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL IMPACTS OF FREE RANGING KANGAROOS ........................................................................................................ 52 6.1 Kangaroo management on rural lands .................................................................. 52 6.1.1 Kangaroo movement between government managed land and rural leases ......... 53 6.2 Kangaroo management on government horse paddocks ..................................... 54 6.3 Commercial kangaroo harvesting and utilisation of carcasses ............................. 55 6.4 Vehicle collisions and collision avoidance ............................................................. 57 APPENDIX 1: METHODS USED TO ESTIMATE KANGAROO DENSITIES ........................... 61 APPENDIX 2: KANGAROO DENSITY ESTIMATES SINCE 2010 ......................................... 63 GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................... 65 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................ 69 FIGURES Figure 1 Kangaroo population in the Australian commercial harvest zones ............................... 10 Figure 2 Abundance of Grassland Earless Dragons and kangaroos at Majura Training Area .... ..18 Figure 3 EGK densities and culls on two sites .............................................................................. 37 Figure 4 Example of a Kangaroo Management Unit, showing multiple land tenures. ................ 47 TABLES Table 1 Key features of biology and ecology .............................................................................. 10 Table 2 Summary of impacts from Eastern Grey Kangaroos (from ACT 2010) ........................... 12 Table 3 Extinction processes in lowland grasslands and grassy woodlands ............................... 13 Table 4 Summary of research on the effects of kangaroo grazing on biodiversity, based on field work in the ACT and published since the publication of the 2010 plan. ................ 15 Table 5 Habitat requirements for threatened fauna species in ACT native grassy ecosystems and significance of kangaroo impacts ......................................................... 20 Table 6 Habitat requirements for threatened flora species in ACT native grassy ecosystems and significance of kangaroo impacts ......................................................... 22 Table 7 Summary of macropod fertility control alternatives ...................................................... 39 Table 8 Numbers of kangaroos culled for conservation reasons in CNP .................................... 44 Table 9 Licensed kangaroo culling statistics for ACT rural lands 1997–2015 ............................. 53 Table 10 Potential intervention actions to manage conflicts between vehicles and kangaroos ....................................................................................................................... 57 3 1 INTRODUCTION