Engaging the Pastoral Industry in the Australian Feral Camel Management Project (AFCMP)

Abstract

Feral camels occur over almost 3.3 million km2 of the Australian rangelands, including parts of the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. Within this range, pastoral land encompasses an area of 1.39 million km2 (1189 properties). The pastoral industry was identified as one of the key stakeholder groups to work with under the Australian Feral Camel Management Project. The impacts of feral camels fall into three main categories: economic, environmental and social/cultural. It should be noted that not all pastoralists were impacted by feral camels. Under the Australian Feral Camel Management Project, multiple approaches were used to engage the pastoral industry through their involvement in developing partnerships, operational planning, implementation and communication. Critical to the success of the project was the commitment to effectively consult with landholders, build partnerships, respect landholder values, establish effective project governance and adopt a flexible management approach.