Roo Roundup

May 2023
Edition #3

In this edition:

• Updates on KPP-funded projects

• The KPP committee welcomes Dr Tanya Stephens

• Other news: Formation of NRMRA Kangaroo Management CoP, future conferences, website, and media

Funded project updates

Kangaroo Management Collective Pilot

The Kangaroo Management Pilot Project supports land managers to link together with the support of the Kangaroo Management Team, SAAL staff and local ecologists to collaboratively manage kangaroos at a landscape scale in the Gawler Ranges region.

The group held its first workshop in February 2023, where land managers discussed the state of play, including landscape and other challenges. Following discussion, the attending land managers voted to use a portion of the acquired funding to purchase harvesting tags, and allocate these across the properties according to expected landscape needs. The effectiveness of this approach will be monitored as the project continues, to inform allocation of remaining funds, and learnings for future projects.

Another workshop is expected to take place in coming weeks to further discussion between land managers to ensure the residual funds are allocated for the maximum landscape scale benefit.

The project has received interest from landholders in other SAAL regions, indicating there may be willingness to roll similar projects out more broadly. There is an ongoing groundswell of goodwill and desire to see kangaroo numbers managed with animal welfare and environmental sustainability in mind.

Pastoralists have shared that they dread the next drought and the likely kangaroo deaths and the mental health impact that will result if we can’t arrest kangaroo numbers before the drought hits.

Kate Greenfield, South Gap Station

Kangaroo management awareness raising

Through active engagement this project, led by the Nature Conservation Society of South Australia aims to increase community awareness of kangaroo management.

The team have run a survey assessing public awareness, to inform the campaign strategy. They have organised and filmed numerous interviews with experts on kangaroo management, including ecologists and land managers to include in their campaign.

The campaign - A Kangaroo Conversation - has now been launched on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok and is beginning to garner an engaged audience. The online platforms are available to be shared with partners and stakeholders to use in their public communications as appropriate. 

You can find out more at:

• Website: https://akangarooconversat.wixsite.com/rooconvo
• Instagram: @akangarooconversation
• Facebook: Kangaroo Conversation
• TikTok: @akangarooconversation
• Twitter: @rooconvo

If you would like to be involved or add input to the social media platforms, feel free to reach out to Madeline McShane (madeline.mcshane@ncssa.asn.au).

At this time, the team is very keen to hear from or be connected with strong Aboriginal and pastoral voices in the kangaroo management space, particularly those who are happy to be interviewed or provide a video as part of the campaign. Please reach out directly to Maddie (see contact email above) or Emily (coordinator@sakangaroopartnership.com) for further information.

Increasing kangaroo value through improved quality, product diversity, and consistency

Australian Wildlife Services has been considering where value can be added along the chain beginning at the landscape level through to retail.

We begin where better kangaroo utilisation could lead to improvements to biodiversity, carbon storage, sustainability, animal welfare, and the physical environment. At the animal level we have considered reliability of supply, harvest characteristics, and waste. In regard to processing, we have looked at waste, quality prescriptions, product differentiation and marketing and influences on retail sales.

We have gathered information on current values of kangaroos and payments made and compared them to other red meats. We have identified innovations and opportunities to increase demand and value. Some of these are currently available and others are to be developed. We have also considered biodiversity and carbon payments which could be applied for improved kangaroo management. We've examined precedents and learnings from parallel red meat industries, both established beef and sheep and others such as deer, goat, emu, and alpaca. We have considered promotion of kangaroo products and the role of ''influencers'', plus how our findings might be implemented. We have prepared a list of collaborators and research connections.

We have concluded that high-value kangaroo products depend on better quality and more accurate product description branding and product diversity. There are opportunities for credits from soil carbon sequestration plus potential carbon distance from a yet to be prepared low emission meat and skins emission reduction fund methodology. Credits could also be earned for stewardship and improved biodiversity. Reliability of supply is a key issue to sustaining higher prices.

Melanie Edwards 
melanie.edwards@awt.com.au
George Wilson
george.wilson@anu.edu.au

Introducing Dr Tanya Stephens to the KPP Committee

The KPP committee has recently welcomed on board Dr Tanya Stephens to the KPP committee. We approached Tanya to join the committee given her expertise in animal welfare and passion for effective kangaroo management.

Tanya represents the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) as a member of the NSW Kangaroo Management Advisory Panel, which she chairs. She also represents the AVA on the NSW Kangaroo Management Taskforce.

Tanya wrote a paper on Kangaroo management and animal welfare for the Ecological Management and Restoration special edition on kangaroos. Tanya was also the editor of One Welfare in Practice: The Role of the Veterinarian, which includes a chapter on the welfare aspects of kangaroo management and harvesting.