The impacts of feral camels

  • Glenn Edwards, Biodiversity Conservation, NRETA, Australia
  • Benxiang Zeng, Australia
  • Keith Saalfeld, Australia
  • Petronella Vaarzon-Morel, Australia
  • Camels are widely distributed across the rangelands of Australia and currently occupy a total area of about 3.5 million square kilometres. The NHT camel project managed by the DKCRC is developing a cross-jurisdictional approach to the management of feral camels, in which the impact assessment of feral camels is one of the important components. This paper will concentrate on the evaluation of the impacts of camels on wetlands, biodiversity, infrastructure, livestock production, road safety and Aboriginal cultures as well as discuss positive impacts such as their use in weed control and as a meat animal.