Welcome to issue 200 of Feral Flyer.
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Participants Meeting Update
The AGM of Invasive Animals Ltd was conducted at the Belconnen Premier Inn in Canberra on 27 October, immediately followed by a Participants Meeting.
The Chair – Helen Cathles, Deputy Chair– Dedee Woodside, Director – Helen Scott-Orr and Director – Manfred Claasz were present for formalities including the presentation of the Annual Report from the Directors and the Audited Financial Statements. The results of elections for Directors were announced and congratulations extended to Helen Cathles, Dedee Woodside and Helen Scott-Orr who were all reappointed for a further term.
In her address, the Chair said that the Invasive Animals CRC is at an extremely important crossroad. This area of research will always be needed if we are to protect our biodiversity from invasions by pest species, reduce impacts on agricultural production, help prevent invasions in our urban centres and ease associated burdens on families whose enterprises supply food and fibre to the nation. The Board’s goal is to ensure that there is an enduring organisation committed to tackling these issues and to lead the international charge through excellent science and collaboration. The Chair thanked our retiring Director – Mark Lonsdale who has always strengthened our Board with his insights and considered contributions.
Kevin Doyle from the Australian Veterinary Association, representing the Chair of the Participants Committee, expressed concern at the declining government funding for CRCs and the increasing demand for agricultural science students which exceeds the supply.
Andreas Glanznig – CEO said the Invasive Animals CRC made exceptional progress in the 2010–11 financial year and is now strongly positioned to deliver its key technologies and ensure their strong uptake through its PestSmart toolkits and roadshow initiative. This high level of performance has seen Invasive Animals CRC staff win a number of prestigious international and national awards and also resulted in industry and government end-users increasing their investment levels in the five-year extension bid.
Participants were then updated on research highlights by the program leaders. They also learnt details on the first PestSmart Roadshow being organised for 2012 and new PestSmart Toolkit publications. PestSmart is one the legacy products from the invasive Animals CRC.
In a special presentation, Quentin Hart, the national project manager of the Feral Camel Management Project outlined the work of those carrying out feral camel controls where the wild camel population doubles every eight to nine years.
Invasive Animals CRC Director – Helen Scott-Orr presented on the steps being undertaken to control dogs and manage rabies in Indonesia which has a history back to the 1890s and how the disease is on the move recently reaching the islands of Flores and Bali which have close associations with Australia.
In the afternoon session, participants were give an overview of the extension bid, Tony Pople of Biosecurity Queensland updated on the land program describing various different pest incursions with the target of ‘No New Pests’ and a focus on landscape recovery from assault by rabbits and wild dogs.
Dean Gilligan from the NSW Department of Primary Industry spoke on the extension bid’s Inland Waters Program and the decline in native fish numbers due to the carp infestation. Simon Humphrys gave an overview on Commercialisation and finally Andreas talked about the future and Beyond the CRC and scoping a National Pest Animals R&D Institute which would foster ongoing collaboration with industry partners.
Invasive Animals CRC prize winners
The annual Invasive Animals CRC prizes were presented for 2011 at a special awards dinner held in conjunction with a Board meeting, the AGM and the Participants meeting.
Invited guests celebrated the awarding of:
The Chair’s Prize for Scientific Excellence– to Dr Brian Cooke, for his outstanding 45-year career as a wildlife scientist specialising on the management of Australia’s most invasive pest animal – the European wild rabbit. Brian is recognised as Australia’s foremost expert on rabbits and rabbit management. Brian has been instrumental in developing a major research project into new and more efficacious strains of rabbit haemorrhagic disease to be released in Australia.
Participant’s Prize for Invasive Animal Management– to Professor Linton Staples, Managing Director — Animal Control Technologies Pty Ltd (ACTA) for his distinguished and continuing career contribution to the control of invasive animals. ACTA, as the major supplier of registered bait, responded to Australia’s worst mouse plague in 2010 and 2011 with an equally exceptional effort. Demand for mouse bait product exceeded all expectations with more than 3,000 tonnes of bait used, effectively protecting crops with a gross value of $2.5-3 billion.
Chief Executive’s prize for achievement as an Invasive Animals CRC student– to
Ms Crystal Kelehear, University of Sydney, who has significantly enhanced our knowledge of a lungworm that infects cane toad as a potential biocontrol measure.
In addition, a special award was presented to Susan Duson – Business Manager/Company Secretary by the Invasive Animals CRC Board for her outstanding governance and financial management including year-on-year of unqualified audits and smooth running financial systems.
Extension Bid Update
Mock interviews were held 28 October and the real thing will be held 8 November. We feel we have prepared heavily and have put together a response team who will expertly answer all the questions being delivered. This is the final in the process so wish us luck for a successful outcome just in time for Christmas.
The molecular ecology of Australian wild dogs:
Invasive Animals CRC and University of WA student Danielle Stephens has recently submitted her PhD thesis entitled “The molecular ecology of Australian wild dogs: hybridisation, gene flow and genetic structure at multiple geographic scales”.
She investigated the pattern of interbreeding between domestic dogs and dingoes across Australia using both new and established testing methods, as well as examining the scale of wild dog populations, the distributions of family groups across the landscape, and the optimal source of DNA for sampling wild dogs non-invasively. The results and methods developed from this work can be applied monitoring the responses of wild dogs to events such as baiting, interactions with domestic dogs, and encountering human settlements.
Danielle found the support, training and networking opportunities of the IA CRC Balanced Scientist program to be invaluable during her PhD. “The extra training in things like statistics and paper writing were a huge help. Being able to regularly catch up with the other students and accomplished scientists at the retreats was also great for getting fresh ideas and renewed motivation after seeing all the exciting work being done in invasive species research”Danielle is now employed as a research associate with WA genetics consultancy Helix Molecular Solutions, tackling a range of ecological and evolutionary genetics projects, and working on publishing the papers from her thesis.
Read more about Danielle
Mastering feral pigs in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area
Congratulations are in order for Dr Amanda Elledge. Amanda has had her thesis corrections accepted and was officially conferred with her Doctorate on Friday 21 October. Amanda is currently working as a Research Scientist with the QLD Department of Environment and Resource Management and will formally graduate in a couple of weeks. Amanda’s PhD and Kana Koichi’s Masters thesis (below) came out of the Invasive Animals CRC Daintree Queensland demonstration site project which has already published 20 scientific papers. The project assessed the impacts of feral pigs on the conservation value of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and aimed to develop acceptable means to enhance feral pig control in this sensitive area.
Read more about Dr Amanda Elledge
Kana Koichi has investigated the human dimensions of feral pig management in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, North Queensland: how different stakeholders perceived the animal and their management. The research highlighted the complexity of feral pig management as a result of multiple values attached to feral pigs by different stakeholder groups.Stakeholders’ perceptions of feral pig impacts were also related to their attitudes towards the control methods and current pig management. The findings emphasised that in pest management, we need to manage not only the ‘problem’ animals but also people.
Read more about Kana Koichi
Courses in animal pest management on offer
David Walter, the administrator/convenor for courses on animal pest management at the University of Canberra’s Faculty of Applied Science (UC) invites you to attend or let your colleagues know about the following courses dealing with pest management:
- Graduate Certificate in Wildlife Management (Strategic Pest Management)
- Graduate Diploma in Natural Resource Management (course approval expected in 2012)
- Course Work Masters in Natural Resource Management (course approval expected in 2012)
- Vocational Education and Training (VET) Diploma in Conservation and Land Management (Specialising in Pest Management) run through the University of Canberra College
- Tailored short courses specifically designed for agencies responsible for pest plant and animal management, incorporating, where required, certificates of attainment for competencies successfully completed (this includes shorter versions of the VET Diploma and the graduate courses).
The VET Diploma has been delivered through the University of Canberra College for several years. Feedback from past students and their employers has been extremely positive and several have said how much it has helped them in planning and implementing effective programs to manage invasive species. Building on this course, the UC will offer three postgraduate courses in 2012, the Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and the Masters. Please note that while the Graduate certificate is approved, the Graduate Diploma and MSc are expected to be available from the second semester of 2012.
To obtain scanned course brochures and an information sheet (titled: Frequently Asked Questions: Invasive Species Management Courses, University of Canberra) about the courses, please email David at David.Walter@canberra.edu.au
Who are the top three female science communicators?
The ABC in Adelaide is interested in your opinion as to who are the top three female science communicators in Australia. To pass on your opinion, you can email Abbie Thomas at <Thomas.Abigail@abc.net.au>.
Australasian Wildlife Management Society 2011 Conference
29 November – 1 December, Bathurst, New South WalesHave you registered yet?
Access the website www.awms.org.au to register now and review the latest information and the updated program.
Accommodation options are limited and only available online for the rest of this week.
| Make your bookings quickly! |
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Applications are now open for a $20 million Communities for Nature grants program.
Communities for Nature grants are for local community groups and organisations looking to improve their natural environment and conserve local biodiversity values. Activities that will be funded include biodiversity and habitat preservation, revegetation, cleaning up of waterways and control of pests and weeds.
The program will run for four years, with $4 million available in 2011. This year, two streams of funding are being offered; small grants of up to $10,000 and large grants for $10,000 to $150,000.
The Department of Sustainability and Environment is implementing this Victorian Government program.
For more information on the assessment criteria and application process, visit www.dse.vic.gov.au/communitiesfornature or contact the Grants Information Line on 1300 366 356.
Applications close on Monday 19 December 2011
GISP Website Available Again…
Two Partners of the Global Invasive Species Programme ie CAB International (CABI), together with the International Ocean Institute (South Africa) are delighted to announce the re-launch of the GISP Website (WWW.GISP.ORG). Sadly, they don’t have funds to produce any new GISP Publications or to update the website on a regular basis but at least all of GISP’s Publications, Toolkits and Reports are once again available for download.
They would like to thank everyone who has written to them during the past few months asking for the GISP Website to be re-launched and are delighted to be able to offer this service, albeit limited, once again to GISP’s stakeholders. This is a great opportunity and GISP really encourage everyone who has been asking for copies of GISP’s Publications to start downloading!
They would also like to express their sincere thanks to Adnan Awad and Martin Cocks of the International Ocean Institute (IOI) – South Africa for kindly stepping in to get GISP’s website up and running again, on an in-kind basis.
Three postdoc positions at Lincoln, NZ
The three Post-Doctoral Fellowship opportunities at the Biological Invasions Bio-Protection Research Centre, New Zealand are
1. Post Doctoral Fellowship (2 years extendable to 3) working on the project entitled ‘Cereal Killers: Integrating global data to predict the future risks of arable weeds’ under the supervision of Prof. Phil Hulme (Philip.Hulme@lincoln.ac.nz) at Lincoln University, Canterbury, NZ (Vacancy Number 11-73)
2. Post Doctoral Fellowship (2 years extendable to 3) working on the project entitled ‘Rates of pathogen accumulation in introduced host plants’ under the supervision of Prof. Richard Duncan (Richard.Duncan@lincoln.ac.nz) at Lincoln University, Canterbury, NZ (Vacancy Number 11-74)
3. Post Doctoral Fellowship (1 year only) working on the project entitled ‘Climate change and species responses at multiple scales’ under the supervision of Profs. Phil Hulme (Philip.Hulme@lincoln.ac.nz) and 
Richard Duncan (Richard.Duncan@lincoln.ac.nz) at Lincoln University, Canterbury, NZ (Vacancy Number 11-75)
For information about the three Post Doctoral fellowships, which are to be hosted at Lincoln University, please visit the Lincoln University website (http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/About-Lincoln-University/Job-vacancies/Academic-vacancies/) or contact the Human Resources Section quoting the vacancy number on phone +64 3 325 3687, fax +64 3 325 3870, email: jobs@lincoln.ac.nz.
Post Doctoral Fellowship applications must be received by 11.00pm (NZ time) on Sunday, 20 November 2011.
2012 Science and Innovation Awards
ABARES is encouraging people to apply for the 2012 Science and Innovation Awards for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, with applications closing 18 November.
There are 12 individual categories, with each offering up to $22,000 for project funding.The awards are open to young people aged 18-35 who have an innovative project that will benefit Australia’s agriculture, fisheries, forestry, food and natural resource management sectors.
Grant recipients can use their funding for a range of activities including research projects, industry visits or to attend conferences and workshops that will support their project. The awards aim to encourage science, innovation and technology in rural industries and help to advance the careers of young scientists through national recognition of their research ideas.
The 2012 Science and Innovation Awards are supported by: the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry; Australian Pork Limited; Australian Meat Processor Corporation; Cotton Research and Development Corporation; Dairy Australia; Fisheries Research and Development Corporation; Forest and Wood Products Australia; Grains Research and Development Corporation; Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation; Horticulture Australia; Meat and Livestock Australia; and the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.For further information: email Science Awards.
Publications
Australian Wildlife Management Society newsletter http://www.onqconferences.com.au/resources/files/AWMSNewsletters/October2011.pdf
New PestSmart Publications
PestSmart Factsheet: Fox shooting and hunting . http://www.feral.org.au/fox-shooting-and-hunting/ Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, Canberra.
PestSmart Case Study: Coordinated fox shooting program – http://www.feral.org.au/coordinated-fox-shooting-program/Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, Canberra.
Media
Carp target of new virus being tested by scientists: The record spawning comes after January’s floods created ideal conditions for the species to breed. Herald Sun http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/virus-plan-to-kill-carp-in-murray/story-fn7x8me2-1226174002414
Farmers’ bane returns: IT’S the pitter-patter of tiny feet that farmers dread. The Agehttp://www.theage.com.au/environment/animals/farmers-bane-returns-20111022-1mdgf.html#ixzz1cUnosjrf
Mice continue to plague growers: MICE are causing more headaches for grain growers already suffering $300 million in crop losses this year. Farm Weekly http://fw.farmonline.com.au/news/nationalrural/grains-and-cropping/general/mice-continue-to-plague-growers/2333200.aspx
Mice move out, for now: MICE numbers have peaked and are now on the decline after one of the worst plagues since 1993 hit the country… Yorke Peninsula Country Times http://www.ypct.com.au/farming/10389-mice-move-out-for-now.html
The case for hunters as pigs run wild: For more than a century, land managers in Queensland have been trying to detemine the best method… ABC Rural http://www.abc.net.au/rural/telegraph/content/2011/s3344318.htm
Foxes: Canberra’s cunning critters. Smart, adaptive, numerous and hungry, Canberra’s fox population seems to be on the rise. ABC Wide Bay http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/10/18/3342485.htm?site=widebay
Winton’s dog days: A MILESTONE has been reached in the wild dog battle in central western Queensland… Queensland Country Life http://qcl.farmonline.com.au/news/state/agribusiness-and-general/general/wintons-dog-days/2330672.aspx
New cat laws pass WA parliament: WA’s 200,000 cat owners will be required to sterilise, microchip and register their pets under new laws…. The West.com.au http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/11302820/new-cat-laws-pass-wa-parliament/
Upcoming conferences
For more information on these and other events, please see details on our website.
2011.
- 38th Natural Areas Conference: Adaptation and protection of biodiversity in a changing world. Tallahassee, Florida, USA, 1-4 November 2011.
- HWCC Conflict training: Analysing and Transforming Conflict to Create Sustainable Solutions for People and Wildlife. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, The Big Island, Hawaii, 1-4 November.
- 18th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society. The Big Island, Hawaii 5-10 November.
- Ecological Society of Australia annual conference. Hobart, Tasmania. 21-25 November.
- Biolief: Biological Invasions and Ecosystem Functioning. Mar del Plata, Argentina, 21-24 November.
- AMWS Conference. Bathurst NSW, 29 November – 1 December
- International Congress for Conservation Biology. Auckland, New Zealand 5-9 December.
2012
- Island Arks Symposium II. The Symposium will be held in Canberra, Australia, in Feb 2012.
- 25th Vertebrate Pest Conference (USA). Monterey, California. 5-8 March
- Collaborate | Innovate | 2012 National Wine Centre in Adelaide from 15-17 May 2012.
- 4th International Wildlife Management Congress. Durban, South Africa. 9-12 July
- 3rd European Congress of Conservation Biology. Glasgow, Scotland. 28 Aug-1 Sept
- Fertility Control Conference. Jackson Wyoming, USA. 29 Aug-1 Sept
