Assessing the impact of pasture resting on pasture condition in the extensive grazing lands of northern Australia

Prescribed burning is an important management tool in the extensive pastoral lands in northern Australia. It can be used to influence grazing patterns, increase the nutritive value of pastures, reduce the density of woody shrubs and reduce the risk of damaging wildfires. The consequences of regional-scale prescribed burning on pasture availability and annual carrying capacities of pastoral properties in northern Australia were examined using EcoFire, a fire management program in the Kimberley Region of north-west Australia, as an example. Theoretical long-term carrying capacities of land systems, and fire scar imagery from years before (2004–06) and during EcoFire (2007–11) were used to model the impact of the program on the seasonality and extent of fire-induced losses in annual carrying capacity, and the likelihood of properties experiencing catastrophic losses in a given year. Over the 5 years that EcoFire has been running, it has resulted in a progressive reduction in the loss of annual carrying capacity caused by the burning of pasture, and shifted the season that annual carrying capacity is lost to fire from predominantly the late to the early dry season. Most notably, the established program has reduced the probability of experiencing catastrophic loss (defined here as >50% of annual carrying capacity removed due to fire) from 18 incidences to three incidences within a 3-year period. These outcomes have the potential to deliver economic benefits to pastoralists via increased annual carrying capacity and by improvements in pasture condition, provided stocking rates and pasture utilisation are managed carefully.

Download Full-text

Economically viable land regeneration in Central Queensland and improved water quality outcomes for the Great Barrier Reef

The Rangeland Journal ◽

10.1071/rj10005 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 267 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

M. Star ◽

P. Donaghy ◽

J. Rolfe

Keyword(s):

Great Barrier Reef ◽

Ground Cover ◽

Scientific Data ◽

Barrier Reef ◽

Sediment Loads ◽

Land Condition ◽

Sediment Reduction ◽

Grazing Lands ◽

The Impact ◽

Land Types

The impact of excessive sediment loads entering into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon has led to increased awareness of land condition in grazing lands. Improved ground cover and land condition have been identified as two important factors in reducing sediment loads. This paper reports the economics of land regeneration using case studies for two different land types in the Fitzroy Basin. The results suggest that for sediment reduction to be achieved from land regeneration of more fertile land types (brigalow blackbutt) the most efficient method of allocating funds would be through extension and education. However for less productive country (narrow leaved ironbark woodlands) incentives will be required. The analysis also highlights the need for further scientific data to undertake similar financial assessments of land regeneration for other locations in Queensland.

Download Full-text

Investigation of the temporal roaming behaviour of free-roaming domestic dogs in Indigenous communities in northern Australia to inform rabies incursion preparedness

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-51447-8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Elizabeth K. Maher ◽

Michael P. Ward ◽

Victoria J. Brookes

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Control Strategies ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

Domestic Dog ◽

Northern Australia ◽

Remote Communities ◽

Canine Rabies ◽

Torres Strait ◽

Associated Risk Factors ◽

The Impact

Abstract Australia is canine rabies free but free-roaming, domestic dog populations in remote northern communities are at risk of an incursion due to proximity to rabies-endemic south-east Asia. Unrestricted contact between dogs could facilitate rabies spread following an incursion, and increase the impact on both dogs and people. Whilst dog vaccination is the foundation of rabies prevention, control strategies could be enhanced by understanding the temporal pattern of roaming and associated risk factors, so that movement restrictions can be targeted. Global positioning system datasets from 132 dogs in eight Indigenous communities in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) of Australia were analysed using regression methods. The influence of risk factors (including age, sex, location, season and hour of day) on dogs’ distance from their residences were assessed. Dogs roamed furthest in the NPA and during the dry season. Daily peaks in mean roaming distance were observed at 1000–1100 hrs and 1700–1800 hrs in the Torres Strait, and 1700–1800 hrs in the NPA. These findings demonstrate that understanding community-specific temporal roaming patterns can inform targeted movement restrictions during an outbreak of rabies in remote communities in northern Australia.

Download Full-text

Mitigation of the Impact of Tropical Cyclones in Northern Australia through Community Capacity Enhancement

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change ◽

10.1007/s11027-005-0052-9 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 367-392 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Linda Anderson-Berry ◽

David King

Keyword(s):

Tropical Cyclones ◽

Community Capacity ◽

Northern Australia ◽

Capacity Enhancement ◽

The Impact

Download Full-text

The impact of experimental fire regimes on seed production in two tropical eucalypt species in northern Australia

Austral Ecology ◽

10.1111/j.1442-9993.1997.tb00673.x ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 279-287 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

SAMANTHA A. SETTERFIELD

Keyword(s):

Seed Production ◽

Fire Regimes ◽

Northern Australia ◽

Eucalypt Species ◽

The Impact

Download Full-text

Current and future threats from non-indigenous animal species in northern Australia: a spotlight on World Heritage Area Kakadu National Park

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr06056 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 34 (6) ◽

pp. 419 ◽

Cited By ~ 55

Author(s):

Corey J. A. Bradshaw ◽

Iain C. Field ◽

David M. J. S. Bowman ◽

Chris Haynes ◽

Barry W. Brook

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Animal Species ◽

World Heritage ◽

Effective Control ◽

Indigenous Species ◽

Northern Australia ◽

World Heritage Area ◽

Non Indigenous Species ◽

The Impact ◽

Heritage Area

Non-indigenous animal species threaten biodiversity and ecosystem stability by damaging or transforming habitats, killing or out-competing native species and spreading disease. We use World Heritage Area Kakadu National Park, northern Australia, as a focal region to illustrate the current and potential threats posed by non-indigenous animal species to internationally and nationally recognised natural and cultural values. Available evidence suggests that large feral herbivores such as Asian swamp buffalo, pigs and horses are the most ecologically threatening species in this region. This may reflect the inherent research bias, because these species are highly visible and impact primary production; consequently, their control has attracted the strongest research and management efforts. Burgeoning threats, such as the already established cane toad and crazy ant, and potentially non-indigenous freshwater fish, marine invertebrates and pathogens, may cause severe problems for native biodiversity. To counter these threats, management agencies must apply an ongoing, planned and practical approach using scientifically based and well funded control measures; however, many stakeholders require direct evidence of the damage caused by non-indigenous species before agreeing to implement control. To demonstrate the increasing priority of non-indigenous species research in Australia and to quantify taxonomic and habitat biases in research focus, we compiled an extensive biography of peer-reviewed articles published between 1950 and 2005. Approximately 1000 scientific papers have been published on the impact and control of exotic animals in Australia, with a strong bias towards terrestrial systems and mammals. Despite the sheer quantity of research on non-indigenous species and their effects, management responses remain largely ad hoc and poorly evaluated, especially in northern Australia and in high-value areas such as Kakadu National Park. We argue that improved management in relatively isolated and susceptible tropical regions requires (1) robust quantification of density–damage relationships, and (2) the delivery of research findings that stimulate land managers to develop cost-effective control and monitoring programs.

Download Full-text

Epidemiological consequences of enduring strain-specific immunity requiring repeated episodes of infection

10.1101/674135 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Rebecca H. Chisholm ◽

Nikki Sonenberg ◽

Jake A. Lacey ◽

Malcolm I. McDonald ◽

Manisha Pandey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mathematical Model ◽

Skin Infection ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

Skin Infections ◽

Northern Australia ◽

Indigenous Australian ◽

Immune Development ◽

Specific Immunity ◽

Group A ◽

The Impact

AbstractGroup AStreptococcus(GAS) skin infections are caused by a diverse array of strain types and are highly prevalent in Indigenous and other disadvantaged populations. The role of strain-specific immunity in preventing GAS infections is poorly understood, representing a critical knowledge gap in vaccine development. A recent GAS murine challenge study showed evidence that sterilising strain-specific and enduring immunity required two skin infections by the same GAS strain within three weeks. This mechanism of developing enduring immunity may be a significant impediment to the accumulation of immunity in populations.We used a mathematical model of GAS transmission to investigate the epidemiological consequences of enduring strain-specific immunity developing only after two infections with the same strain within a specified interval. Accounting for uncertainty when correlating murine timeframes to humans, we varied this maximum inter-infection interval from 3 to 420 weeks to assess its impact on prevalence and strain diversity. Model outputs were compared with longitudinal GAS surveillance observations from northern Australia, a region with endemic infection. We also assessed the likely impact of a targeted strain-specific multivalent vaccine in this context.Our model produced patterns of transmission consistent with observations when the maximum inter-infection interval for developing enduring immunity was 19 weeks. Our vaccine analysis suggests that the leading multivalent GAS vaccine may have limited impact on the prevalence of GAS in populations in northern Australia if strain-specific immunity requires repeated episodes of infection.Our results suggest that observed GAS epidemiology from disease endemic settings is consistent with enduring strain-specific immunity being dependent on repeated infections with the same strain, and provide additional motivation for relevant human studies to confirm the human immune response to GAS skin infection.Author summaryGroup AStreptococcus(GAS) is a ubiquitous bacterial pathogen that exists in many distinct strains, and is a major cause of death and disability globally. Vaccines against GAS are under development, but their effective use will require better understanding of how immunity develops following infection. Evidence from an animal model of skin infection suggests that the generation of enduring strain-specific immunity requires two infections by the same strain within a short time frame. It is not clear if this mechanism of immune development operates in humans, nor how it would contribute to the persistence of GAS in populations and affect vaccine impact. We used a mathematical model of GAS transmission, calibrated to data collected in an Indigenous Australian community, to assess whether this mechanism of immune development is consistent with epidemiological observations, and to explore its implications for the impact of a vaccine. We found that it is plausible that repeat infections are required for the development of immunity in humans, and illustrate the difficulties associated with achieving sustained reductions in disease prevalence with a vaccine.

Download Full-text