Resolving the value of the dingo in ecological restoration
By T. Newsome, G. Ballard, M. Crowther, Justin A. Dellinger, P. Fleming, A. Glen, A. Greenville, Christopher N. Johnson, Mike Letnic, K. Moseby and 9 more. 2015
83 citations recorded by the source corpus.
There is global interest in restoring populations of apex predators, both to conserve them and to harness their ecological services. In Australia, reintroduction of dingoes (Canis dingo) has been proposed to help restore degraded rangelands. This proposal is based on theories and the results of studies suggesting that dingoes can suppress populations of prey (especially medium‐ and large‐sized herbivores) and invasive predators such as red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and feral cats (Felis catus) that prey on threatened native species. However, the idea of dingo reintroduction has met opposition, especially from scientists who query the dingo's positive effects for some species or in some environments. Here, we ask ‘what is a feasible experimental design for assessing the role of dingoes in ecological restoration?’ We outline and propose a dingo reintroduction experiment—one that draws upon the existing dingo‐proof fence—and identify an area suitable for this (Sturt National Park, western New South Wales). Although challenging, this initiative would test whether dingoes can help restore Australia's rangeland biodiversity, and potentially provide proof‐of‐concept for apex predator reintroductions globally.
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/ac38422193766ffc3c669a62df7801df1e0b71ee
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Citations in the corpus
- Can we save large carnivores without losing large carnivore science (2017, background): “This paucity also means that, in most cases, we do not yet have a solid understanding of the actual cascading effects, if any, of carnivore reintroduction, population control or manipulation (Ripple et al., 2014b; Newsome et al., 2015).”
- Rewilding: Science, Practice, and Politics (2015, background): “In Australia, there has also been a reconsideration of the status and role of camels (106) and dingoes (107) as potential controls on invasive plant and mammal species.”
- Stop Jumping the Gun: A Call for Evidence‐Based Invasive Predator Management (2017, background): “2014), and additional experimental studies are therefore required to help resolve scientific conjecture that currently hinders advances in predator management (Newsome et al. 2015).”