The Dingo for Biodiversity Project. Purchasing land for Compassionate Conservation

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1 The Dingo for Biodiversity Project Purchasing land for Compassionate Conservation

2 The UTS Centre for Compassionate Conservation (CfCC) proposes to invest in the purchase of land for innovative conservation research. The land will be managed according to the tenets of Compassionate Conservation and offer scientists and practitioners a unique opportunity to develop new ways of promoting biodiversity. Introduced animals such as foxes and cats have caused major biodiversity declines and extinctions across Australia. In response, conservation efforts have been primarily focused on pest control. This approach has made little headway in achieving its aims, and in several cases has caused more harm than good. For example the eradication of cats from offshore islands of Australia and New Zealand led to irruptions of rabbits and rats, harming native vegetation and bird populations, necessitating millions of dollars of investment in further eradication efforts. Once species establish in a new region, they become intricately embedded within a complex web of interactions, making it virtually impossible to extract them without triggering a chain of unforeseen consequences. Traditional conservation efforts focused on killing bear high financial, ecological and welfare costs, and deliver little in return. The entrenchment of this approach has also come at a cost to scientific development. While there are many landholding types across Australia, they all share similar management approaches and are therefore less able to test new ideas. The CfCC is breaking the mold and developing effective solutions to conservation challenges by unifying animal welfare and conservation science. Compassionate Conservation emphasizes that the lives of individual animals matter, and that there are limits to our ability to predict the outcomes of any intervention in ecosystems. Compassionate Conservation has therefore adopted the oath of the medical profession: first do no harm. The oath reminds medical and conservation practitioners that some interventions may exacerbate rather than alleviate problems. The CfCC will be hosting the Dingo for Biodiversity Project, a science and conservation initiative conducting research into the ecological role of dingoes and encouraging landowners to transition to predator-friendly practices. The project offers a new vision of conservation practice, in which promoting dingoes replaces pest control as an approach to biodiversity recovery. Large predators are vital for the health of ecosystems. They are also highly endangered, primarily due to persecution by humans.

3 The Dingo for Biodiversity Project is a science and conservation initiative conducting research into the ecological role of dingoes. The project offers a new vision of conservation practice, in which promoting dingoes replaces lethal control as an approach to biodiversity recovery. Trophic cascades theory describes how large predators maintain a balance of nature by limiting populations of their prey and smaller predators, both native and introduced. Ecosystems that contain healthy populations of large predators have higher biodiversity conditions because population irruptions are suppressed. This effect enhances the ability of ecosystems to absorb new species without losing residents. The dingo, Australia s top order predator, successfully limits populations of smaller predators (such as foxes and cats) and herbivores (such as rabbits and kangaroos), which benefits small native animals and plant communities. The dingo is one of the strongest examples known of an apex predator s ecological function, alongside wolves, cougars and lions. However there are currently no safe places for dingoes, and they are continually subjected to poison baiting campaigns across the country. Killing of predators remains the primary land management approach of all landholding types across Australia, including national parks, Aboriginal lands and even World Heritage sites. We have travelled for five years searching for a safe place for dingoes, and none were found. Therefore, in 2010, we established the Dingo for Biodiversity Project, which brings landowners and scientists together to transition to predator-friendly practices and phase out all killing practices. Three large-scale long-term reserves have been established providing a proof of concept of this approach. These experiments are the first of their kind.

4 While it is crucially important to work collaboratively with existing landowners, nothing can truly replace the purchase of land by an organization that is founded on the principles of Compassionate Conservation. We will purchase a large station in which scientists, land managers and the public will be able to study and learn about a completely new way of engaging with nature in the modern world. Rather than signalling defeat in our war on invasive species, the fostering of resilience in ecological communities by promoting the recovery of apex predators offers a novel approach that simultaneously reduces the harm caused by introduced species, reduces the harm society feels compelled to cause them, and capitalizes on their values. Compassion for animals should be fundamental for conservation because poor conservation outcomes are often consistent with the mistreatment of animals Marc Bekoff We propose the purchase and establishment of a Compassionate Conservation Research Station (CCRS). The land holding will be situated in the Australian arid zone and managed for biodiversity conservation in accordance with compassionate conservation. The CCRS will provide a research environment that is currently not in existence anywhere in Australia. Unlike collaborative projects with existing landowners, the CCRS will provide an assurance that the management approach will be maintained into perpetuity. As such, the CCRS is expected to be a focal of new research by academics from across Australia and overseas. The CCRS will also provide an invaluable site for teaching, field excursions and student research projects. The UTS Centre for Compassionate Conservation is a world leader in this emerging field. The Centre is supported by internationally renowned scientists such as Prof. Marc Bekoff (University of Colorado). The ubiquitous emphasis on killing for conservation threatens to alienate society, policy makers and students from supporting conservation activities. The Centre offers both incoming and established conservation biologists a way to bring animal ethics back into conservation practice, to improve welfare, biodiversity and science.

5 The ubiquitous emphasis on killing for conservation threatens to alienate society, policy makers and students from supporting conservation activities. The Compassionate Conservation Research Centre will be managed according to three tenets that sets it apart from traditional conservation reserves The protection of dingoes will fully replace lethal control as the method for limiting populations of irruptive wildlife. The ecological role and wellbeing of dingoes depends on a condition of social stability. Dingoes will therefore receive full and proactive protection. All species, regardless of whether they are native or introduced, will be treated with equal respect and care. Rather than signalling defeat in our war on invasive species, the fostering of resilience in ecological communities by promoting the recovery of apex predators offers a novel approach that simultaneously reduces the harm caused by introduced species, reduces the harm society feels compelled to cause them, and capitalizes on their values.

6 Land for Compassionate Conservation UTS Centre for Compassionate Conservation Dingo for Biodiversity Project