predators and ecology

There has been a lot of discussion about the benefits likely from the return of traditional animal predators into the Australian environment. In Victoria Toolern Vale’s Australian Dingo Foundation, Aus Eco Solutions and Mt Rothwell Biodiversity Interpretation Centre in Little River have launched the Working Dingoes Saving Wildlife project. Inside is a link to the ABC film reporting this. And we have also embedded another film about the impact of returning wolves to Yellowstone Park in the United States, whence they had been absent for about 70 or more years. The effects were positive and remarkable. This is a short and enjoyable film, narrated by George Monbiot.

Below is a link to the Australian ABC video report on the Mount Rothwell Dingo Project:

Video: Mt Rothwell Dingo Project ABC News.

Here is the wolf film:

The experience in Yellowstone of the reintroduction of wolves has begun not only improvements in their own habitat, but in other habitats across the world, including the Flinders Ranges. The principle of the importance of reintroduction of a top order predator to degraded ecosystems underpins the quoll project in the Flinders Ranges: for ‘wolves’ read ‘quolls’; for ‘deer’ read ‘rabbits’. While we do not anticipate such a dramatic impact in arid Australia we already know that our quolls are killing rabbits, and there will no doubt be observable benefits for native vegetation in the next few years.

FAME (and DEWNR) are breaking new ground with our project and we should be very proud of ourselves. Other, larger organisations are now clamouring to establish similar projects involving Australia’s very few remaining top predators, but we will always be the first!

Remember when the wolves were introduced back into Yellowstone National Park about 20 years ago?

There was a lot of debate about whether or not it was a good thing.