tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/top-end-90546/articlesTop End – The Conversation2021-11-29T19:11:09Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1715002021-11-29T19:11:09Z2021-11-29T19:11:09ZPhotos from the field: leaving habitats unburnt for longer could help save little mammals in northern Australia<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434326/original/file-20211129-13-wv8taj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C2%2C579%2C695&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Monjon, a small, native mammal in the tropical savanna under threat from fire</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Bettini</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>Environmental scientists see flora, fauna and phenomena the rest of us rarely do. In this series, we’ve invited them to share their unique <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/photos-from-the-field-92499">photos from the field</a>.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>Native small mammals such as bandicoots, tree-rats and possums have been in dire decline across Northern Australia’s vast savannas for the last 30 years – and we’ve only just begun to understand why.</p>
<p><a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2664.12323">Feral cats</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-mystery-of-the-top-ends-vanishing-wildlife-and-the-unexpected-culprits-143268">livestock</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-and-national-park-managers-are-failing-northern-australias-vanishing-mammals-10089">wildfires</a>, and the complex ways these threats <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/csp2.52">interact</a>, have all played a crucial role. But, until now, <a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-and-national-park-managers-are-failing-northern-australias-vanishing-mammals-10089">scientists have struggled to pinpoint</a> which factor was the biggest threat.</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.739817/abstract">new research</a> points to fire. In the most comprehensive study of small mammals and the threats they face in northern Australia, we found the length of time a habitat is left unburnt determines the number of different mammal species present, and their abundance.</p>
<p>This is important because Northern Australia’s tropical savanna is one of the most fire-prone regions on the planet. Our findings suggest we need to change the way we manage wildfires so we can help native wildlife come back from the brink. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434337/original/file-20211129-17-3y5usi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434337/original/file-20211129-17-3y5usi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434337/original/file-20211129-17-3y5usi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434337/original/file-20211129-17-3y5usi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434337/original/file-20211129-17-3y5usi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434337/original/file-20211129-17-3y5usi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434337/original/file-20211129-17-3y5usi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434337/original/file-20211129-17-3y5usi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wunaamin Miliwundi Range – stunning tropical savanna where wildfires pose a huge threat to wildlife.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Bettini</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The last mammal stronghold</h2>
<p>The remote and breathtakingly beautiful Northern Kimberley is the only place in mainland Australia where there have been <a href="https://publications.csiro.au/rpr/download?pid=csiro:EP102445&dsid=DS4">no mammal extinctions</a>. Instead, it’s a stronghold for species that are now extinct or in decline elsewhere in northern Australia, such as golden-backed tree-rats, brush-tailed rabbit-rats and northern quolls. </p>
<p>It’s also home to species found nowhere else in Australia, such as the monjon (the world’s smallest rock-wallaby), the hamster-like Kimberley rock rat, and the enigmatic scaly-tailed possum. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434338/original/file-20211129-19-y9jpjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434338/original/file-20211129-19-y9jpjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434338/original/file-20211129-19-y9jpjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434338/original/file-20211129-19-y9jpjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434338/original/file-20211129-19-y9jpjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434338/original/file-20211129-19-y9jpjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434338/original/file-20211129-19-y9jpjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434338/original/file-20211129-19-y9jpjb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Monjon (right) and northern quoll (left), two savanna species under dire threat from wildfires.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Bettini</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431873/original/file-20211115-27-1kh5qnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431873/original/file-20211115-27-1kh5qnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/431873/original/file-20211115-27-1kh5qnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=240&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431873/original/file-20211115-27-1kh5qnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=240&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431873/original/file-20211115-27-1kh5qnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=240&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431873/original/file-20211115-27-1kh5qnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=302&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431873/original/file-20211115-27-1kh5qnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=302&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/431873/original/file-20211115-27-1kh5qnb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=302&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A golden-backed tree-rat.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Bettini</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434339/original/file-20211129-13-ncfr9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434339/original/file-20211129-13-ncfr9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434339/original/file-20211129-13-ncfr9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434339/original/file-20211129-13-ncfr9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434339/original/file-20211129-13-ncfr9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434339/original/file-20211129-13-ncfr9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434339/original/file-20211129-13-ncfr9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434339/original/file-20211129-13-ncfr9o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Golden bandicoot.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Bettini</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But wildfires are a significant threat to these small mammals, as well as many other <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/wf/pdf/WF07150">plants and animals</a>, with many officially listed as endangered or vulnerable. </p>
<p>Fire is a fundamental part of savanna ecology, and <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1890/120251">up to 50 million hectares burn each year</a>. This means only a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1071/MU12109">small proportion</a> of the landscape remains unburnt for longer than four years.</p>
<p>This fire-proneness is driven by the monsoon climate. Wet season rainfall causes grass to grow rapidly, and a prolonged dry season causes these grasses to dry out, creating fuel. Lightning and other ignition sources from the mid to the end of the dry season from August to December result in frequent and massive <a href="https://theconversation.com/huge-fires-are-burning-northern-australia-every-year-its-time-to-get-them-under-control-49431">high-intensity wildfires</a>. Climate change may be exacerbating this threat.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434327/original/file-20211129-21-c86l9f.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434327/original/file-20211129-21-c86l9f.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434327/original/file-20211129-21-c86l9f.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434327/original/file-20211129-21-c86l9f.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434327/original/file-20211129-21-c86l9f.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434327/original/file-20211129-21-c86l9f.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434327/original/file-20211129-21-c86l9f.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434327/original/file-20211129-21-c86l9f.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An out-of-control fire, late in the Kimberley’s dry season.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ben Corey</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434329/original/file-20211129-21-ybe4ke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434329/original/file-20211129-21-ybe4ke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434329/original/file-20211129-21-ybe4ke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434329/original/file-20211129-21-ybe4ke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434329/original/file-20211129-21-ybe4ke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434329/original/file-20211129-21-ybe4ke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434329/original/file-20211129-21-ybe4ke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434329/original/file-20211129-21-ybe4ke.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The results of a fire striking late in the dry season, when grassy fuel is abundant.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ian Radford</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fire managers, largely <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-best-fire-management-system-is-in-northern-australia-and-its-led-by-indigenous-land-managers-133071">led by Indigenous rangers</a> as well as state government agencies and <a href="https://www.australianwildlife.org/our-work/fire-management-program/">conservation organistations</a>, use low intensity prescribed burning in the early dry season, when vegetation is moist and conditions are cooler. This produces patchy fire scars that limit the spread of the inevitable wildfires later in the dry season.</p>
<p>There’s <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479721006307">ample evidence</a> this approach is <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-best-fire-management-system-is-in-northern-australia-and-its-led-by-indigenous-land-managers-133071">highly effective</a>. And yet, mammals continue to decline, and scientists have been <a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-and-national-park-managers-are-failing-northern-australias-vanishing-mammals-10089">criticised</a> for not having the answers.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434330/original/file-20211129-17-gn82fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434330/original/file-20211129-17-gn82fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434330/original/file-20211129-17-gn82fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434330/original/file-20211129-17-gn82fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434330/original/file-20211129-17-gn82fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434330/original/file-20211129-17-gn82fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434330/original/file-20211129-17-gn82fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434330/original/file-20211129-17-gn82fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A scaly-tailed possum.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Bettini</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-mystery-of-the-top-ends-vanishing-wildlife-and-the-unexpected-culprits-143268">The mystery of the Top End's vanishing wildlife, and the unexpected culprits</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What we found</h2>
<p>We’ve been studying small mammals in the Northern Kimberley for the last ten years, amassing the one of the largest datasets for any study in northern Australia. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.739817/abstract">Our work</a> confirms the critical role of feral cats and livestock (such as buffaloes, horses, cattle and donkeys) in mammal declines. Sites with more cats and livestock had fewer native mammals. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434333/original/file-20211129-15-xiz475.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434333/original/file-20211129-15-xiz475.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434333/original/file-20211129-15-xiz475.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=679&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434333/original/file-20211129-15-xiz475.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=679&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434333/original/file-20211129-15-xiz475.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=679&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434333/original/file-20211129-15-xiz475.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=854&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434333/original/file-20211129-15-xiz475.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=854&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434333/original/file-20211129-15-xiz475.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=854&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Researcher Ben Corey with a black-footed tree-rat.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Chemello</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434335/original/file-20211129-13-r81ls3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434335/original/file-20211129-13-r81ls3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434335/original/file-20211129-13-r81ls3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434335/original/file-20211129-13-r81ls3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434335/original/file-20211129-13-r81ls3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434335/original/file-20211129-13-r81ls3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434335/original/file-20211129-13-r81ls3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434335/original/file-20211129-13-r81ls3.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A feral cat caught prowling around the critical native ecosystem of Australia’s topical savanna.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ben Corey</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, the most vital factor was vegetation that remained unburnt for four or more years – whether from wildfires or prescribed burns. Sites with longer unburnt vegetation, including with fruiting shrubs and trees, had far more mammals. </p>
<p>We also tested an <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2006.00492.x?casa_token=sybR73ySBoAAAAAA:4OTO-7meAxBkkd1jJIrxUIjoN7HdvrSmWLAs-YuEVy3fm3jP91re5Np-m1nVau7RCo8u0kLSC70gdZE">age-old debate in fire management</a>: does pyrodiversity create greater wildlife diversity? </p>
<p>Pyrodiversity refers to the number of patches within a landscape, with different times since the last fire, and is something fire managers try to achieve.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434343/original/file-20211129-25-t9pf0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434343/original/file-20211129-25-t9pf0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434343/original/file-20211129-25-t9pf0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434343/original/file-20211129-25-t9pf0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434343/original/file-20211129-25-t9pf0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434343/original/file-20211129-25-t9pf0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434343/original/file-20211129-25-t9pf0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434343/original/file-20211129-25-t9pf0x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Flying to remote monitoring sites, which can be near impossible to access by foot or car.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ben Corey</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, we found pyrodiversity had a negative influence on mammals. Unburnt vegetation was the only attribute that explained the higher abundance and diversity of small mammal species.</p>
<p>What’s more, the <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10531-020-02010-9">benefits for small mammals</a> increase with the size of the unburnt patch – bigger is better. These longer unburnt patches provide critical resources such as food from fruiting trees and shrubs, and shelter including tree hollows and hollow logs. They also help small mammals to evade feral cats.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434341/original/file-20211129-15-1lwaxws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434341/original/file-20211129-15-1lwaxws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434341/original/file-20211129-15-1lwaxws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434341/original/file-20211129-15-1lwaxws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434341/original/file-20211129-15-1lwaxws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434341/original/file-20211129-15-1lwaxws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434341/original/file-20211129-15-1lwaxws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434341/original/file-20211129-15-1lwaxws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Prince Regent National Park, in the remote north-west Kimberley.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ben Corey</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434340/original/file-20211129-23-tk1atm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434340/original/file-20211129-23-tk1atm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434340/original/file-20211129-23-tk1atm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434340/original/file-20211129-23-tk1atm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434340/original/file-20211129-23-tk1atm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434340/original/file-20211129-23-tk1atm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434340/original/file-20211129-23-tk1atm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434340/original/file-20211129-23-tk1atm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Longer unburnt habitat in Prince Regent National Park.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ben Corey</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A conundrum for fire managers</h2>
<p>Our findings present fire managers with a conundrum. While it’s vital to mammals, large unburnt patches are often targeted because they burn more easily and are often viewed as being risky.</p>
<p>We’re not suggesting there should be no prescribed burning or that current fire management has adverse effects on small mammals. In fact, we need around 25% of savannas to be burnt under <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/WF/pdf/WF19031">milder fire-weather conditions</a> each year to maintain longer unburnt vegetation and, therefore, achieve the best results for mammals. </p>
<p>However, our study does suggest fire management needs to be more nuanced than simply reducing wildfires. We mustn’t lose sight of the need to look at longer term fire patterns. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434336/original/file-20211129-19-t1z66q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434336/original/file-20211129-19-t1z66q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434336/original/file-20211129-19-t1z66q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434336/original/file-20211129-19-t1z66q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434336/original/file-20211129-19-t1z66q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434336/original/file-20211129-19-t1z66q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434336/original/file-20211129-19-t1z66q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434336/original/file-20211129-19-t1z66q.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Aerial prescribed burning undertaken in Prince Regent National Park.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ben Corey</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fire management in northern Australia is already highly sophisticated. Advances in <a href="https://firenorth.org.au/nafi3/">fire scar</a> and <a href="https://incendiarysim.wordpress.com/">landscape</a> mapping mean we have tools at our disposal to take a more strategic approach. </p>
<p>For example, we can identify refuge areas for mammals, as well as areas that are naturally less fire prone. We can decrease the randomness of prescribed burning by focusing on recently burnt areas and landscape features, such as rivers and cliffs, that maximise the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479721019265">stopping power of strategic fire scars</a>.</p>
<p>Indeed, ideas for <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2005.01441.x?casa_token=vzRknlLs49YAAAAA:QRhtauPd3ntAknsgG5qtpJkVDAMDnxb1HzCLrw3gTSW5be7kRH0nDON">more strategic</a> fire management, with <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1442-8903.2011.00595.x">ecologically meaningful</a> management targets, have been championed for some time, and are being <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/wf/pdf/WF18126">further refined</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434342/original/file-20211129-13-16iamgd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434342/original/file-20211129-13-16iamgd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434342/original/file-20211129-13-16iamgd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434342/original/file-20211129-13-16iamgd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434342/original/file-20211129-13-16iamgd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434342/original/file-20211129-13-16iamgd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434342/original/file-20211129-13-16iamgd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434342/original/file-20211129-13-16iamgd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A low intensity prescribed burn.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ben Corey</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But monitoring and reporting on this needs to become more widespread, and coordinated across different fire-managed areas. New fire reporting tools, such as the <a href="https://smerf.net.au/">Savanna Monitoring and Evaluation Reporting Framework</a>, will help make this happen. </p>
<p>We realise achieving this across northern Australia’s vast and remote landscapes is a formidable and expensive undertaking. But it’s essential adequate and targeted monitoring is embedded within fire management programs, so we can <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/conl.12685">better track</a> wildlife responses. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-best-fire-management-system-is-in-northern-australia-and-its-led-by-indigenous-land-managers-133071">The world's best fire management system is in northern Australia, and it's led by Indigenous land managers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171500/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ben Corey and Ian Radford are employed by the West Australian Government’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Leigh-Ann Woolley previously received funding from NESP TSR Hub. She is currently employed by WWF-Australia. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ian Radford does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Northern Australia’s tropical savanna is one of the most fire-prone regions on the planet. We need to change the way we manage fires so we can help native wildlife come back from the brink.Ben Corey, Adjunct Research Associate, Charles Darwin UniversityIan Radford, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Charles Darwin UniversityLeigh-Ann Woolley, Adjunct Research Associate, Charles Darwin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1680892021-09-23T20:04:15Z2021-09-23T20:04:15ZThe sun’s shining and snakes are emerging, but they’re not out to get you. Here’s what they’re really up to<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422809/original/file-20210923-15-yxnhp7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C14%2C4914%2C3057&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s early spring in southern Australia and the sun is, gloriously, out. You decide to head to your local patch of greenery – by the creek, lake, or foreshore – with the sun on your face, the breeze in your hair, and your dog’s tongue blissfully lolling. </p>
<p>Suddenly you see it. Paused on the path just a few meters in front of your feet, soaking up those same springtime rays — a snake.</p>
<p>Love them or loathe them, snakes have been co-existing with, and haunting us, since well before our ancestors called themselves “human”. From the <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Genesis%203%3A1">subtle tempter of Genesis</a> to the <a href="https://www.worldhistory.org/Quetzalcoatl/">feathered serpent deities of Mesoamerica</a>, snakes have always been potent symbols of otherness. </p>
<p>Today, to encounter a snake is to brush up against the wild and mysterious heart of the natural world. Snakes are important members of every terrestrial ecosystem across Australia. Even in the most populous parts of the country, snakes inhabit the remnant bushland dispersed throughout our major cities. </p>
<p>But what exactly influences human–snake interactions? Whether you’re hoping to maximise your chances of seeing one of these shy, fascinating critters or wanting to avoid them at all costs, this article is for you.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1438053044197810178"}"></div></p>
<h2>Snakes in southern springtime</h2>
<p>In southern Australia, a flurry of animal activity occurs in spring. As resources start becoming plentiful after the relatively lean months of winter, spring is the reproductive season for many plants and animals. </p>
<p>One such resource is heat — a particularly crucial resource for organisms such as reptiles, which don’t make their own body heat (unlike mammals). It’s a common misconception, however, that snakes want as much heat as they can get. Like Goldilocks, snakes want the temperature to be just right. </p>
<p>Southern springs are the right temperature for snakes to bask during the times of day we humans are also out and about. In summer, snakes, including venomous species such as tiger snakes and brown snakes, are typically more active very early in the morning, late in the evening, or during the night when temperatures are not too high for them.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422824/original/file-20210923-15-13vcmkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422824/original/file-20210923-15-13vcmkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422824/original/file-20210923-15-13vcmkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422824/original/file-20210923-15-13vcmkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422824/original/file-20210923-15-13vcmkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422824/original/file-20210923-15-13vcmkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422824/original/file-20210923-15-13vcmkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422824/original/file-20210923-15-13vcmkp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">During spring in south-eastern Australia, red-bellied blacksnakes are common in suburban areas.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Damian Lettoof</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After a slow winter, snakes are both hungry (they may have been fasting for months!) and on the lookout for eligible members of the opposite sex. Basking, hunting, and searching for a mate brings snakes out into the open in spring a bit more than at other times of year, so we’re most likely to encounter them during this time.</p>
<h2>Snake activity in northern Australia</h2>
<p>Like all things, snake activity is a little different in the north. Spare a thought for those poor northern Australians who will never know the joys of a snake-filled springtime. </p>
<p>Still, the north has far more snake species than the south, including many species of non-venomous python — the farther south you go, the more our snake fauna is dominated by venomous species (check out <a href="http://www.arod.com.au/arod/">Australian Reptile Online Database</a> for distribution maps).</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422836/original/file-20210923-22-e8ozjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422836/original/file-20210923-22-e8ozjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422836/original/file-20210923-22-e8ozjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422836/original/file-20210923-22-e8ozjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422836/original/file-20210923-22-e8ozjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422836/original/file-20210923-22-e8ozjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422836/original/file-20210923-22-e8ozjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422836/original/file-20210923-22-e8ozjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Darwin carpet pythons (<em>Morelia spilota variegata</em>) are most often encountered in the cooler months of the year following the annual wet season.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Chris Jolly</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Because of the unforgiving year-round heat across northern Australia, temperature doesn’t drive snake activity as it does in the south. You will rarely see a basking snake in Australia’s Top End, they’re too busy avoiding the heat.</p>
<p>Instead, snake activity is driven by another important resource – rain. In the Top End, this means <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/aec.12990">snakes are most often encountered following the wet season</a> (April–June) when prey and water abound. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1245508878357262338"}"></div></p>
<p>In other, more arid “boom and bust” systems, large rainfall events may only happen every five to ten years. When they do, they can trigger huge flurries of snake activity as the serpents emerge to take advantage of fleetingly available prey.</p>
<h2>Snakes indicate ecosystem health</h2>
<p>From the moment of birth, all species of snake are predatory, although some, like <a href="http://www.arod.com.au/arod/reptilia/Squamata/Elapidae/Brachyurophis">shovel-nosed snakes</a>, prey only upon eggs. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422822/original/file-20210923-15-1u7uqly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422822/original/file-20210923-15-1u7uqly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422822/original/file-20210923-15-1u7uqly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422822/original/file-20210923-15-1u7uqly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422822/original/file-20210923-15-1u7uqly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422822/original/file-20210923-15-1u7uqly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422822/original/file-20210923-15-1u7uqly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422822/original/file-20210923-15-1u7uqly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Shovel-nosed snakes prey only on eggs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Damian Lettoof</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In some terrestrial Australian ecosystems, snakes are near the top of the food chain. After reaching a certain size, they have few predators of their own. A two-metre coastal taipan in the cane fields of northern Queensland, for example, has more to fear from harvesters than it does from any natural predator. </p>
<p>For large snakes to persist in an environment, they need an abundance of their prey (mice, frogs and lizards), as well as all the species their prey feed upon (invertebrates, even smaller animals, or plants).</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422838/original/file-20210923-17-14dxlnj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422838/original/file-20210923-17-14dxlnj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422838/original/file-20210923-17-14dxlnj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422838/original/file-20210923-17-14dxlnj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422838/original/file-20210923-17-14dxlnj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422838/original/file-20210923-17-14dxlnj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422838/original/file-20210923-17-14dxlnj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422838/original/file-20210923-17-14dxlnj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Coastal taipans (<em>Oxyuranus scutellatus</em>) are exceptionally elusive, but when they are (rarely) encountered, it is most often males observed while they are on the hunt for females during northern Australia’s winter.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Chris Jolly</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Snakes often also have specific habitat requirements. In general, they need shelter and protection from bigger predators, which might include birds of prey, predatory mammals such as native marsupials or introduced cats and foxes, or other snakes. They also need opportunities for safely regulating their body temperature. </p>
<p>This means a snake will only call a place home if it has both a functioning food-web and the necessary habitat complexity. So remember, if you see snakes in your backyard or local park, it’s a sign the ecosystem is doing pretty well.</p>
<h2>Snakes don’t want to bite you</h2>
<p>Snakes are awesome predators, but no Australian snake is interested in eating a human. In fact, they want as little to do with us giant hairless apes as possible.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422813/original/file-20210923-22-1018xx6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422813/original/file-20210923-22-1018xx6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422813/original/file-20210923-22-1018xx6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422813/original/file-20210923-22-1018xx6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422813/original/file-20210923-22-1018xx6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=384&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422813/original/file-20210923-22-1018xx6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422813/original/file-20210923-22-1018xx6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422813/original/file-20210923-22-1018xx6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=482&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Merri Creek in inner-city Melbourne is famously home to many snakes, including tiger snakes, who bask in the sun at springtime.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>Why? Because snakes are actually quite vulnerable animals. Compared to many other species, they are small, have no sharp claws or strong limbs, and limited energy to put up a fight — they are basically limbless lizards with different teeth. </p>
<p>For those that possess it, venom is a last resort and only a minority of species —such as taipans, brown snakes, tiger snakes, and death adders — can deliver a life-threatening bite to a person. But snakes would much rather use their venom to subdue prey (that’s what they have it for) than to defend themselves.</p>
<p>When snakes bite humans in Australia, it’s a defensive reaction to a large animal they view as a potential predator. Remember, they can’t understand your intentions, even if those intentions are good. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422823/original/file-20210923-23-1dae3xb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422823/original/file-20210923-23-1dae3xb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/422823/original/file-20210923-23-1dae3xb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422823/original/file-20210923-23-1dae3xb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422823/original/file-20210923-23-1dae3xb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422823/original/file-20210923-23-1dae3xb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422823/original/file-20210923-23-1dae3xb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/422823/original/file-20210923-23-1dae3xb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tiger snakes and other venomous snakes won’t bite you if you respect their boundaries.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Damian Lettoof</span></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>If you’re lucky enough to see a wild snake, and if you respect its boundaries and give it personal space, it’s sure to do the same for you. Keep dogs on the lead in snakey areas and educate your kids to be snake-smart from as young as possible. </p>
<p>Even though snakes don’t want to bite, snakebite envenoming can be a life-threatening emergency. Learn <a href="https://biomedicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au/departments/department-of-biochemistry-and-pharmacology/engage/avru/advice-and-resources/first-aid">first aid</a>, and when you go for a walk in one of those sanctuaries of greenery that snakes like as much as we do, carry a compression bandage (or three). </p>
<p>It’s almost certain you will never need it, but it could just save a life.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/does-australia-really-have-the-deadliest-snakes-we-debunk-6-common-myths-145765">Does Australia really have the deadliest snakes? We debunk 6 common myths</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/168089/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Timothy N. W. Jackson receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris J Jolly receives funding from National Environmental Science Program (Threatened Species Hub).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Damian Lettoof receives funding from HWRE. </span></em></p>Whether you’re hoping to maximise your chances of seeing one of these shy, fascinating critters or wanting to avoid them at all costs, this article is for you.Timothy N. W. Jackson, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Australian Venom Research Unit, The University of MelbourneChris J Jolly, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Charles Sturt UniversityDamian Lettoof, PhD Candidate, Curtin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1432682020-07-28T20:00:51Z2020-07-28T20:00:51ZThe mystery of the Top End’s vanishing wildlife, and the unexpected culprits<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349788/original/file-20200728-23-1miq6cr.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1078%2C810&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A brush-tailed rabbit-rat, one of the small mammals disappearing in northern Australia.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cara Penton</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Only a few decades ago, encountering a bandicoot or quoll around your campsite in the evening was a common and delightful experience across the Top End. Sadly, our campsites are now far less lively.</p>
<p>Northern Australia’s vast uncleared savannas were once considered a crucial safe haven for many species that have suffered severe declines elsewhere. But over the last 30 years, small native mammals (weighing up to five kilograms) have been mysteriously vanishing across the region.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-and-national-park-managers-are-failing-northern-australias-vanishing-mammals-10089">Scientists and national park managers are failing northern Australia’s vanishing mammals</a>
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<p>The reason why the Top End’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/scientists-and-national-park-managers-are-failing-northern-australias-vanishing-mammals-10089">mammals have declined so severely</a> has long been unknown, leaving scientists and conservation managers at a loss as to how to stop and reverse this tragic trend.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349819/original/file-20200728-35-cxfc6d.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="The author smiles at an adorable glider in a little blanket she's holding." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349819/original/file-20200728-35-cxfc6d.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349819/original/file-20200728-35-cxfc6d.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349819/original/file-20200728-35-cxfc6d.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349819/original/file-20200728-35-cxfc6d.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349819/original/file-20200728-35-cxfc6d.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349819/original/file-20200728-35-cxfc6d.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349819/original/file-20200728-35-cxfc6d.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Alyson Stobo-Wilson with a savanna glider. Gliders are among the mammals rapidly declining in northern Australia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alyson Stobo-Wilson</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320720306960?via%3Dihub">Our major new study</a> helps unravel this longstanding mystery. We found that the collective influence of feral livestock — such as buffaloes, horses, cattle and donkeys — has been largely underestimated. Even at quite low numbers, feral livestock can have a big impact on our high-value conservation areas and the wildlife they support. </p>
<h2>The race for solutions</h2>
<p>In 2010, Kakadu National Park conducted a <a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/WR/WR09125">pivotal study</a> on Top End mammals. It found that between 1996 and 2009, the number of native mammal species at survey sites had halved, and the number of individual animals dropped by more than two-thirds. Similar trends have since been observed elsewhere across the Top End. </p>
<p>Given the scale and speed of the mammal declines, the need to find effective solutions is increasingly urgent. It has become a key focus of conservation managers and scientists alike. </p>
<p>The list of <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2011.00164.x">potential causes</a> includes inappropriate fire regimes, feral cats, cane toads, feral livestock, and invasive weeds. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xDNJ_PfaTgM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Many small and medium-sized mammals are in rapid decline in northern Australia.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>With limited resources, it’s essential to know which threats to focus on. This is where <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320720306960?via%3Dihub">our study</a> has delivered a major breakthrough.</p>
<p>We looked for patterns of where species have been lost and where they are hanging on. With the help of helicopters to reach many remote areas, we used more than 1,500 “camera traps” (motion-sensor cameras to record mammals) and almost 7,500 animal traps (such as caged traps) to survey 300 sites across the national parks, private conservation reserves and Indigenous lands of the Top End.</p>
<h2>A new spotlight on feral livestock</h2>
<p>We found most parts of the Top End have very few native mammals left. The isolated areas where mammals are persisting have retained good-quality habitat, with a greater variety of plant species and dense shrubs and grasses. </p>
<p>This habitat provides more shelter and food for native mammals, and has fewer cats and dingoes, which hunt more efficiently in open areas. In contrast, sites with degraded habitat have much less food and shelter available, and native mammals are more exposed to predators.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349815/original/file-20200728-27-16s2ri0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Six dark coloured horses roam among sparse trees in the Top End." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349815/original/file-20200728-27-16s2ri0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349815/original/file-20200728-27-16s2ri0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349815/original/file-20200728-27-16s2ri0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349815/original/file-20200728-27-16s2ri0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349815/original/file-20200728-27-16s2ri0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349815/original/file-20200728-27-16s2ri0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349815/original/file-20200728-27-16s2ri0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Feral horses can overgraze and trample over habitat, making it far less suitable for small native mammals.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jaana Dielenberg</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Across northern Australia, habitat quality is primarily driven by two factors: bushfires and introduced livestock, either farmed or feral. </p>
<p>Our surveys revealed that areas with more feral livestock have fewer native mammals. This highlights that the role of feral livestock in the Top End’s mammal declines has previously been underestimated.</p>
<p>Even at relatively low densities, feral livestock are detrimental to small mammals. Through overgrazing and trampling, they degrade habitat and reduce the availability of food and shelter for native mammals.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-best-fire-management-system-is-in-northern-australia-and-its-led-by-indigenous-land-managers-133071">The world's best fire management system is in northern Australia, and it's led by Indigenous land managers</a>
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</p>
<hr>
<p>Frequent, intense fires also play a big role. Australia’s tropical savannas are among <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-best-fire-management-system-is-in-northern-australia-and-its-led-by-indigenous-land-managers-133071">the most fire-prone</a> on Earth, but fires that are too frequent, too hot and too extensive remove critical food and shelter. </p>
<p>Yet, even if land managers can manage fires to protect biodiversity, for example by reducing the occurrence of large, intense fires, the presence of feral livestock will <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/csp2.52">continue to impede native mammal recovery</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349816/original/file-20200728-25-2o891h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A wild buffalo walks over grass, in front of trees." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349816/original/file-20200728-25-2o891h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349816/original/file-20200728-25-2o891h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349816/original/file-20200728-25-2o891h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349816/original/file-20200728-25-2o891h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349816/original/file-20200728-25-2o891h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349816/original/file-20200728-25-2o891h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349816/original/file-20200728-25-2o891h.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Even small numbers of feral livestock can play a big role in native mammal declines.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Northern Territory Government</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A new way to manage cats</h2>
<p>Cats have helped drive more than <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/112/15/4531.short">20 Australian mammals to extinction</a>. So it’s not surprising we found fewer native mammals at our sample sites where there were more cats. </p>
<p>However, our results suggest the best way to manage the impact of cats in this region may not be to simply kill cats, which is notoriously difficult across vast, remote landscapes. Instead, it may be more effective to manage habitat better, tipping the balance in favour of native mammals and away from their predators. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349817/original/file-20200728-13-sso599.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A striped, ginger cat with shining eyes looks at the camera at night." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349817/original/file-20200728-13-sso599.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349817/original/file-20200728-13-sso599.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349817/original/file-20200728-13-sso599.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349817/original/file-20200728-13-sso599.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349817/original/file-20200728-13-sso599.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349817/original/file-20200728-13-sso599.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349817/original/file-20200728-13-sso599.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A feral cat at one of the study sites. Cats have helped cause more than 20 native mammal extinctions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Northern Territory Government</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The combination of prescribed burning to protect food and shelter resources, and culling feral livestock, might be all that’s needed to support native mammals and reduce the impact of feral cats. </p>
<h2>What about dingoes?</h2>
<p>Many scientists have suggested dingoes could also be part of the solution to reducing cat impacts — as <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/oik.05546">cats are believed to avoid dingoes</a>. With this in mind, we explored the relationship between the two <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ddi.13065">predators in this study</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349820/original/file-20200728-25-17bavnt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A brownish motion detection camera trap strapped to a tree." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349820/original/file-20200728-25-17bavnt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349820/original/file-20200728-25-17bavnt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349820/original/file-20200728-25-17bavnt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349820/original/file-20200728-25-17bavnt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349820/original/file-20200728-25-17bavnt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349820/original/file-20200728-25-17bavnt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349820/original/file-20200728-25-17bavnt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One of more than 1,000 motion detection cameras used in this study.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jaana Dielenberg</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We found no evidence dingoes influenced the distribution of feral cats. In fact, survey sites with more dingoes had fewer native small mammals, suggesting a negative impact by dingoes.</p>
<p>But, unlike cats, culling dingoes is not an option because they provide other important ecological roles, and are culturally significant for Indigenous (and non-Indigenous) Australians.</p>
<h2>Controlling herbivores, not predators</h2>
<p>Our study suggests an effective way to halt and reverse Top End mammal losses is to protect and restore habitat. For example, by improving fire management and controlling feral livestock through culling.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/ecocheck-australias-vast-majestic-northern-savannas-need-more-care-59897">EcoCheck: Australia's vast, majestic northern savannas need more care</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>It is also very important to conserve the environments that still have high-quality habitat and healthy mammal communities, such as the high-rainfall areas along the northern Australian coast. These areas provide refuge for many of our most vulnerable mammal species. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349821/original/file-20200728-21-1hpy1zv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A photo from a camera trap showing a black-footed tree-rat on its hind legs." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349821/original/file-20200728-21-1hpy1zv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/349821/original/file-20200728-21-1hpy1zv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349821/original/file-20200728-21-1hpy1zv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349821/original/file-20200728-21-1hpy1zv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349821/original/file-20200728-21-1hpy1zv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349821/original/file-20200728-21-1hpy1zv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/349821/original/file-20200728-21-1hpy1zv.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The native black-footed tree-rat has had major declines across northern Australia. It’s vulnerable to cats and is now restricted to areas that still have good quality habitat, fewer herbivores and less frequent fire.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hugh Davies</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/ecocheck-australias-vast-majestic-northern-savannas-need-more-care-59897">tropical savannas of northern Australia</a> are the largest remaining tract of tropical savanna on Earth and <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-rare-discovery-we-found-the-sugar-glider-is-actually-three-species-but-one-is-disappearing-fast-142807">new species</a> are still being discovered.</p>
<p>While there’s more research to be done, it’s crucial we start managing habitat better, before we lose more of our precious mammal species. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the support from many Indigenous ranger groups, land managers and Traditional Owners. This includes the Warddeken, Bawinanga, Wardaman and Tiwi rangers, the Traditional Owners and land managers of Kakadu, Garig Gunak Barlu, Judbarra/Gregory, Litchfield and Nitmiluk National Parks, Djelk, Warddeken and Wardaman Indigenous Protected Areas, and Fish River Station and was facilitated by the Northern, Tiwi and Anindilyakwa Land Councils.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143268/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This research was led by scientists at the Northern Territory Government. This article and research benefitted from the involvement of Northern Territory Government Scientists including Brydie Hill, and Alys Stevens from Warddeken Land Management Limited.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brett Murphy receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program through the Threatened Species Recovery Hub.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Graeme Gillespie is employed by the Northern Territory Government’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources. He has received funding from the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Programme through the Threatened Species Recovery Hub and Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub. The Department also receives funding from a number of other Australian Government programs including the National Landcare Program, Geological and Bioregional Assessment Program and National Partnership Agreements.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jaana Dielenberg receives funding from the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program through the Threatened Species Recovery Hub.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Woinarski receives funding from the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program through the Threatened Species Recovery Hub. </span></em></p>Small mammals in northern Australia have been rapidly vanishing for the last 30 years, and scientists weren’t sure why. Now, a major new study found feral livestock are largely to blame.Alyson Stobo-Wilson, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Charles Darwin UniversityBrett Murphy, Associate Professor / ARC Future Fellow, Charles Darwin UniversityGraeme Gillespie, Honorary Research Fellow, The University of MelbourneJaana Dielenberg, Science Communication Manager, The University of QueenslandJohn Woinarski, Professor (conservation biology), Charles Darwin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.