24 leading scientists have written to the State and Federal Governments and this is what they say about 1080 aerial baiting:
"RE: DINGO (WILD DOG) BAITING IN SOUTHEASTERN AUSTRALIA AND BUSHFIRE RECOVERY
Dear Minister/s,
The undersigned wish to express our expert opinion on the status of dingoes across Australia in light of the current bushfire emergency. At the time of writing, more than 10 million hectares has been burnt across Australia, including 1.2 million hectares in Victoria and 4.9 million hectares in New South Wales. Across southeastern Australia
this represents burning of major dingo habitat zones in National Parks and State Forests. We commend the Federal, NSW and VIC State Governments for their focus on assisting fauna and flora recovery after the catastrophic 2019/2020 bushfire season, however, the proposed ‘feral predator’ aerial baiting plans are counterproductive to that
aim. In particular, we wish to express concern about plans to undertake widespread 1080 “wild dog” aerial baiting across burnt habitat in NSW and VIC.
The prevailing wisdom is that introduced predators such as foxes and feral cats pose the most significant risk to native fauna (marsupials, birds, reptiles etc). These risks need to be proactively and swiftly managed to protect (already struggling) threatened species that have been endangered by recent bushfires. We agree that proactive
measures to limit introduced predators may need to be taken but these should be targeted and not endanger native predators such as quolls, dingoes and varanids.
Currently proposed aerial baiting programs will not target cats, leaving threatened species under increased pressure from these predators. It is also important to iterate that “wild dog” baiting will kill dingoes, leading to widespread mesopredator release, removing suppressive pressure on cat and fox populations exerted by dingoes.
Aerial baiting in bushfire affected southeastern Australia is an unacceptable risk to native carnivores
Aerial baiting with 1080 poison poses an unacceptable risk to native predators such as quolls, dingoes and varanids because it is unknown if food scarcity in burnt landscape may increase bait consumption leading to poisoning of quolls or varanids. Furthermore, dingoes are highly susceptible to 1080 baiting and are included as a direct target of
“wild dog” baiting efforts. Importantly, best-practice guidelines to limit 1080 baiting impacts on quolls suggests that all baits should be buried to a depth of more than 10 cm and “aerial or broadcast surface baiting should only be used in areas where it can be demonstrated that there is a low risk to spot-tailed quoll populations” (EPBC Act Policy Statement 3.4 - Significant impact guidelines for the endangered spot-tailed quoll
Dasyurus maculatus maculatus (southeastern mainland population) and the use of 1080). Currently it is unknown how quolls and other non-target species will be impacted by aerial baiting in burnt habitat. Arguably, the recently proposed NSW “wildlife and conservation bushfire recovery” plan should be referred to the Federal Environment Minister under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999 for assessment.
We strongly emphasise the ecological importance of terrestrial apex predators in biodiversity resilience and ecosystem functioning. Dingoes are the sole non-human land-based top predator on the Australian mainland. Their importance to the ecological health and resilience of Australian ecosystems cannot be overstated, from regulating
wild herbivore abundance (e.g. various kangaroo species), to reducing the impacts of feral mesopredators (cats, foxes) on native marsupials (Johnson & VanDerWal 2009; Wallach et al. 2010; Letnic et al. 2012; Letnic et al. 2013; Newsome et al. 2015; Morris & Letnic 2017). It would be hypothesised that continued dramatic reduction of dingo
populations, by aerial baiting, will enable introduced mesopredators such as foxes and cats to exploit burnt areas unchecked, posing a high risk to threatened native species.
The impacts of feral cats and red foxes are likely to be amplified in disturbed ecosystems, such as those burnt by bushfires. Indiscriminate and non-target specific lethal management should not be implemented if there is a risk to the persistence of threatened native fauna or ecosystem resilience.
We would urge the Federal, NSW and VIC State Governments to focus bushfire recovery efforts on proactive evidence-based measures including:
• Installation of exclusion fences to protect recovering vegetation and wildlife communities
(short-term)
• Targeting lethal control measures to key refuge areas and important sites for remaining populations of threatened species
• Limiting lethal control to targeted methods such as shooting, trapping or ground-baiting where steps are taken to limit non-target bait consumption
• Providing supplemental shelter, food and water to identified remaining populations of threatened species
• Increasing post-fire weed control to protect regeneration efforts
Dingoes have a fundamental ecological role and their protection needs to be enhanced rather than diminished
“Wild dog” aerial baiting programs, as proposed as part of bushfire recovery programs, seriously threaten the persistence of dingoes in southeastern Australia. Cairns et al (2019) and Stephens et al (2015) effectively demonstrate through DNA testing that “wild dogs” are predominately dingoes and dingoes with dog ancestry rather than feral
dogs (see Appendix 1 - Wild dog terminology is inaccurate and misleading). Dingoes are a native species, and despite their impact on livestock producers, play a fundamental ecological role. Aerial baiting is not target specific and kills dingoes, dingo hybrids and feral dogs, as well as other non-target species. Diminishing predator populations tend to be associated with ecosystem instability and native species decline.
The dingo is a keystone species that benefits small animals and plant communities by suppressing and changing the behaviours of mammalian herbivores and smaller predators (including introduced foxes and feral cats) (Johnson & VanDerWal 2009; Wallach et al. 2010; Letnic et al. 2012; Letnic et al. 2013; Newsome et al. 2015; Morris
& Letnic 2017). Their presence adds a stabilising influence and provides ecosystem resilience for species only found in Australia. We strongly underline the importance of adequate protection of dingoes within Australian ecosystems.
Conservation of dingoes in the face of the bushfire emergency (2019-2020) Currently southeastern dingoes are under threat because of widespread lethal control programs, genetic dilution by hybridisation and have faced serious habitat destruction following the recent 2019-2020 bushfires in Victoria and New South Wales. We call upon Federal and State Governments to undertake proactive steps to preserve and
protect distinct southeastern dingoes, by putting in place a moratorium on widespread aerial and ground baiting programs.
Widespread aerial and ground baiting in southeastern Australia is incompatible with the ongoing persistence of dingoes because:
• Aerial baiting dramatically decreases the population of dingoes (killing up to 90% of individuals)
• Widespread lethal control is a key risk-factor in increasing the risk of hybridisation by destroying social (pack) structures
• Indiscriminate lethal control increases the spread of dog genes through the dingo population via genetic bottlenecking We strongly urge the NSW and VIC State Governments to put in place active conservation protection for identified “high genetic integrity” populations (please see
Appendix 1 for further comment on NSW and VIC Government policies on dingo conservation). In NSW, “high genetic integrity” populations have been identified at Myall Lakes, North of Port Macquarie and Washpool National Park. In Victoria, urgent genetic and population surveys of dingo populations are needed across the state to identify populations of high conservation significance. Additional genetic surveys are needed across NSW and VIC to identify additional high conservation value populations
for protection. High conservation value dingo populations should be immediately protected from lethal control. State Governments are urged to consider transitioning to a legislative model that sees dingoes protected on public lands including within National Parks and State Forests. We also wish to clarify that concern about
hybridisation is based on an ecologically unproven distinction between ‘pure’ dingoes and ecologically functional ‘dingoes with dog ancestry’, (see Appendix 1 - Wild dog terminology is inaccurate and misleading for further detail).
Ecosystem recovery after catastrophic bushfires It is important that wildlife and conservation bushfire recovery programs focus on
environmental regeneration and protection. Dingoes (and other wildlife) are likely to migrate into agricultural and unburnt lands as they escape fires and seek food/water following the extensive burning of habitat. Farmers should be assisted to explore nonlethal forms of management such as electric fencing, animal husbandry changes and livestock guardian animals; promoting co-existence with wildlife whilst local habitat
regenerates. In circumstances where dingoes cause significant impact to livestock producers then targeted lethal control of problem animals would be an acceptable mitigation strategy, after having trialled non-lethal strategies. It is important to consider that there is strong evidence that haphazard, broad-scale baiting can increase conflict
with livestock producers (Allen & Gonzalez 1998; Allen 2015).
Summary
As prominent international and Australian researchers in predator ecology, biology, archaeology, cultural heritage, social science, humanities, animal behaviour and genetics, we wish to emphasise the importance of dingoes in Australian ecosystems.
On the balance of scientific evidence, ethical reasoning and society-wide expectations, protection of dingoes should be enhanced rather than diminished. We urge Federal and State Governments to develop a cohesive management strategy that preserves and
protects existing dingoes (including high-content hybrids) irrespective of taxonomy in southeastern Australia.
Aerial baiting programs are not compatible with the continued persistence of dingoes and pose an unacceptable risk to other native predators in southeastern Australia after the bushfire crisis. We reiterate that the NSW and VIC Governments should reconsider
planned aerial baiting programs in burnt landscape.
Signed:
Dr Kylie M Cairns
Research Fellow, Centre for Ecosystem
Science
School of Biological, Earth and
Environmental Sciences
University of New South Wales
Associate Professor Mathew Crowther
School of Life of Environmental
Sciences
University of Sydney
Dr Melanie Fillios
Senior Lecturer, Humanities, Arts and
Social Sciences
University of New England
Dr Neil Jordan
Lecturer, Centre for Ecosystem Science
School of Biological, Earth and
Environmental Sciences
University of New South Wales
Dr Justin W. Adams
Senior Lecturer
Department of Anatomy and
Developmental Biology, Biomedicine
Discovery Institute
Monash University
Dr Clare Archer-Lean
Senior Lecturer in English
School of Creative Industries
University of the Sunshine Coast
Dr Gabriel Conroy
Environmental Management Program
Coordinator
University of the Sunshine Coast
Dr Sankar Subramanian
Senior Lecturer in Genetics
School of Science and Engineering
University of the Sunshine Coast
Benjamin N. Sacks, M.S., Ph. D.
Adjunct Professor of Mammalian
Ecology and Conservation
Veterinary Genetics Laboratory
Department of Population Health and
Reproduction, School of Veterinary
Medicine
University of California, Davis
Dr Bradley P. Smith
Senior Lecturer, Psychology
School of Health, Medical and Applied
Sciences
Central Queensland University
Lily van Eeden
School of Life and Environmental
Sciences
University of Sydney
Dr Georgette Leah Burns
Senior Lecturer, School of Environment
and Science
Griffith University
Prof Claire M Wade
Chair of Computational Biology and
Animal Genomics
Faculty of Science
School of Life and Environmental
Sciences, University of Sydney
Dr Angela Wardell-Johnson
Environmental Sociologist
Curtin University
Dr Holly Sitters
Research Fellow, School of Ecosystem
and Forest Sciences
The University of Melbourne
Rob Appleby
Co-director
Wild Spy Pty Ltd
Professor Peter Savolainen
KTH - Royal Institute of Technology
Dept of Gene technology, CBH
Science for Life Laboratory
Box 1031, SE-17121 Solna, Sweden
Dr Benjamin Pitcher
Research Fellow, Department of
Biological Sciences
Macquarie University
Loukas Koungoulos
Department of Archaeology
University of Sydney
Professor Chris Johnson
University of Tasmania
Dr Aaron Greenville
Lecturer in Spatial Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences
School of Life and Environmental
Sciences
The University of Sydney
Dr Brian W. Davis
Professor of Genomics, Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology
College of Veterinary Medicine and
Biomedical Science
Texas A&M University
Dr Angie M. Johnston
Assistant Professor
Boston College
Professor Mike Letnic,
Centre for Ecosystem Science
University of New South Wales
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Alpine Dingo - Photo: Michele J Photography