University of Tasmania, Australia

We will develop predictive models to determine the most effective culling strategy for feral buffalo to control exotic diseases (e.g. tuberculosis and foot-and-mouth) and to minimise negative impacts.

Models will be based on rigorous sampling (random culls) of wild populations adjacent to Kakadu National Park to provide precise estimates of survival and fecundity. This will be combined with generational movement data derived from DNA analysis. We will involve Aboriginal land owners and rangers using an ‘action research’ paradigm such that we can evaluate the contribution of traditional people controlling a disease outbreak in these remote areas. We will explore stakeholders' perceptions and concerns about the costs of feral buffalo control.

This research is locally, nationally and internationally significant because it:

1. improves the capacity of the Northern Territory and its traditional aboriginal owners to manage together this prevalent species in an effort to minimise disturbance to native flora and fauna and to understand the long-term implications of continued proliferation,
2. provides a nationally relevant system to monitor and project the spread of disease through feral animal populations in Australia, and
3. combines quantitative data and robust analytical tools that can be used as a template for solving many broad-scale feral animal problems around the world.