Too Many Roos For Queensland

QUEENSLAND - The increasing kangaroo population across western Queensland is having a negative impact on cattle production and threatens the biodiversity of timbered country.
calendar icon 5 September 2007
clock icon 2 minute read

At the August meeting of the Western Queensland Regional Beef Research Committee (WQRBRC) at Longreach, the producer members said managing pastures using seasonal spelling and rotational grazing methods were just not working because of the grazing pressure from large numbers of kangaroos.

Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) beef scientist and WQRBRC secretary Desiree Jackson said the committee planned to gather all current information on kangaroo numbers and investigate what research had been done regarding the impact of kangaroos on the environment.

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Up to $20,000 of MLA funding could be made available to develop kangaroo grazing exclosures on a number of west region land systems to determine the level of pasture degradation attributable to the kangaroo pressure.

Ms Jackson said that in addition to the negative impact on cattle production, landholders were reporting that they were losing the biodiversity of their timbered country, which served as a refuge for the large mobs of kangaroos.

Guest speaker at the meeting was Rodd Dyer, manager of Meat and Livestock Australia´s Northern Beef Program.

WQRBRC chair Elizabeth Mackenzie, a Morven district grazier, welcomed an offer from Mr Dyer to fund travel expenses to enable national experts to address a regional forum regarding the kangaroo management issue.

Mr Dyer also said the MLA would support the WQRBRC if the group opted to progress the development of a Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) to look at the impact of kangaroos on pasture.

Up to $20,000 of MLA funding could be made available to develop kangaroo grazing exclosures on a number of west region land systems to determine the level of pasture degradation attributable to the kangaroo pressure.

Ms Jackson said the committee intended to gather more information about investigative work that had already been done to ensure a PDS proposal would not be duplicating previous research.

DPI&F manager of integrated resource management, Lew Markey, presented a draft of a proposed West Region Beef Industry Business Plan. Further input into the business planning process would be provided through the seven producer members plus other representatives from DPI&F, Department of Natural Resources and Water, and the University of Queensland. The WQRBRC´s region extends from Boulia in the south to the NSW and Queensland border, east to Morven and north through the Desert Uplands region to Richmond.

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