Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Community-led Responses to Invasive Animals Factsheet What is community led action The term community led action describes action that is initiated and implemented by a community in response to an issue(s) of a local concern. This is in contrast to more “traditional” forms of government-driven community engagement, whereby authorities ‘inform’, ‘consult’ and ‘involve’ communities in local decision making. Instead, the emphasis of community led action is on community empowerment. The role of the government authorities (Local, State or Federal) under a model of community led action shifts from provider and carer to that of an enabler; responding to, and supporting local action (Eardley and Vincent 2011). government-based strategy. In other instances it may refer to actions taken by individuals to control invasive animals on their property with the support of government bodies. This can include baiting, trapping, shooting or reporting of incidents of invasive animals. In many areas in Australia, for example, baiting programs are coordinated by the local government but with baits laid by land-owners. This is partly because the toxins used are often highly controlled substances, unavailable to citizens. Hence, action is carried out by and within the community, but it is usually part of a centralised government program. Community-based action on invasive animals There is limited literature on community-led responses to invasive animals, and it has been noted that the citizen perspective has often been left out of invasive animal management (Martin, Low Choy, LeGal, & Lingard, 2016). More recently, however, there has been increasing recognition of the importance of people in the invasive animal issue (Fisher, Lee, & Cribb, 2012; Woodburn, Lambert, & Clarke, 2013), especially as landscapes become more fragmented and diverse, such as in peri-urban areas (Davis & Carter, 2014; Epanchin-Niell et al., 2010). It is clear that much invasive animal (and plant) management relies on communities, often through volunteer community groups or individuals. In many cases, the term community-based action is used to describe ‘on the ground’ action of landholders or other community members, who are acting as part of a Alternatively, individual landholders, or small groups of landholders, may employ professional shooters or trappers to try and remove invasive animals. Image: Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia are helping farmers control invasive animals on their properties (ssaa.org.au) Such approaches are more effective if neighbouring land-holders work together, due to the mobile nature of invasive animals. However, some landholders may benefit from the management without becoming involved. If land adjoins national parks or other protected areas, then there may be the need for government involvement to create a coordinated response, especially if eradication is the aim. More recently the business and recreational opportunities of invasive species management are being harnessed. Organisations are working with landholders to allow recreational shooters on to their land, for example to shoot deer. Community-led action on invasive animals Community-led action implies a greater level of participation by the community than individuals taking action or being involved in government programs. Instead, it is characterised by the community being empowered to take collective action. There are only a few examples of community-led action on invasive animals One example of community-based action that was not directed at a government level was the response to cane toads in Western Australia (Peacock, 2007). Two separate community groups organised a community response in the form of a fence and a community muster specifically aimed at killing cane toads. Although the effect of these efforts on the cane toad is uncertain, the benefits of engaging the community have been widely recognised (Peacock, 2007). In another example, a community group coordinated and organised a trapping program to catch foxes in their local area in response to their predation of small mammals. In following years, the program was expanded to include shooting and baiting in adjoining farmlands and Parks. The ongoing fox control program now includes a combination of soft jaw trapping, shooting, baiting, cage trapping and a community fox watch to report fox sightings. Importantly, community-led action does not have to be about eradication. Monitoring and reporting programs or education campaigns can be just as important in the management of invasive animals. There is little evidence of community-led action on invasive animals in the academic literature. This is not to say it does not occur, simply that it is not widely reported and certainly not widely studied. References Davis, D., & Carter, J. (2014). Finding common ground in weed management: Peri-urban farming, environmental and lifestyle values and practices in southeast Queensland, Australia. Geographical Journal, 180(4), 342– 352. http://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12034 Epanchin-Niell, R., Hufford, M. B., Aslan, C. E., Sexton, J. P., Port, J. D., & Waring, T. M. (2010). Controlling invasive species in complex social landscapes. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 8(4), 210–216. http://doi.org/10.1890/090029; M3: doi: 10.1890/090029; 19\r10.1890/090029 Fisher, N., Lee, A., & Cribb, J. (2012). Will the community accept our science? Monitoring the community’s view about managing pest animals in Australia. Canberra: Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre. Friends of Venus Bay Peninsula. (2016). Environmental Projects 2006-16. Retrieved October 6, 2016, from http://www.friendsofvenusbaypeninsula.org .au/projects.html Martin, P., Low Choy, D., LeGal, E., & Lingard, K. (2016). Effective citizen action on invasive species: The institutional challenge. Canberra: Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre. Retrieved from http://www.pestsmart.org.au/wpcontent/uploads/2016/05/DiscussionPaper_I nstitutionalChallenge.pdf Peacock, T. (2007). Community on-ground cane toad control in the Kimberley. Canberra: Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre. Retrieved from http://www.feral.org.au/wpcontent/uploads/2010/03/Peacock_Commu nity-toad-control-report_lr.pdf Woodburn, V., Lambert, J., & Clarke, M. (2013). Australian Pest Animal Strategy Evaluation. Community Solutions. For comments and/or questions, please contact: Professor Darryl Low Choy Professor of Environmental & Landscape Planning Griffith University, Brisbane Telephone: 07 3735 7496 [email protected] Dr Edward Morgan Research Fellow Cities research Institute Griffith University, Brisbane Telephone: 07 3735 9248 [email protected] Ms Pazit Taygfeld Senior Research Assistant Cities Research Institute Griffith University, Brisbane Telephone: 07 3735 5424 [email protected].