Overabundant native vertebrates in New South Wales: characterising populations, gauging perceptions and developing an ethical management framework

Abstract

This paper examines populations of both abundant and overabundant native vertebrate species in New South Wales, human perceptions of the problem of overabundance and the ethical dimensions faced by managers. We argue that overabundant native vertebrate species form a group requiring specific policy and management attention, just as threatened species as a group have received special attention. The biological scores of a 1992 review of the status of all the native birds, mammals, frogs and reptiles in New South Wales were re-examined to identify the abundant species. Overabundant species, those that are too abundant, were identified from the licensing records of the Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSW) which lists species for which management action has been employed to control their numbers or impacts. Of the 891 species of native vertebrates listed in the 1992 study, 109 were identified as abundant, but not overabundant, while 50 were identified as overabundant (11 mammals and 39 birds).