Blue Mountains Dingo Research.
Daniel Oscar Hunter | PhD Candidate
In the forests eastern Australia, dingoes are subject to intense baiting, trapping and shooting as they
are a known predator of many livestock species. However, removal of top order predators from
ecosystems doesn’t come without repurcussions. Studies of dingo removal in arid Australia have
demonstrated that the removal of dingoes promotes an environment where the red fox (Vulpes
vulpes) and feral cat (Felis catus) can flourish in the absence of any top-down suppression – known
as the mesopredator release hypothesis. Research was conducted in the Greater Blue Mountains
World Heritage Area (GBMWHA). To test the effects of dingo removal on native small mammal
abundance we surveyed areas where dingoes were locally uncommon and locally common. This was
determined by the presence or absence of lethal 1080 poison baiting. Surveys consisted of small
mammal trapping and large scale camera and sand plot surveys at both control and treatment sites.
Initial results demonstrate that at sites where dingoes are locally common, mesopredator incidence
is lower and native small mammal abundance is significantly higher compared with sites where
dingoes are locally uncommon. This suggests that dingo presence is positively associated with native
small mammal abundance in temperate forests of NSW. This research provides clear evidence of the
dingo’s role as an important conservation tool in the battle against invasive predators in forest
ecosystems of eastern Australia.
Daniel Oscar Hunter | PhD Candidate
Centre for Ecosystem Science | University of New South Wales, Sydney
M: +61 413 886 942 | Skype: danieloscarhunter
In partnership with Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute