Managing Vertebrate Pests

"Australian crops are damaged by mice, black rats and four species of native rodents. There has been a mouse plague somewhere in the Australian grain belt every four years on average since 1900. In the last twenty years plagues have increased to one every year or two. The 1993-94 plague in south-east Australia cost the grains industry an estimated $65 million. Rat damage to Queensland sugarcane crops amounts to $2-9 million annually. Rodents also have significant social and environmental impacts and can spread disease to people and livestock." -- back cover.

Vertebrate pests cause considerable damage to environment, agriculture and biodiversity apart from transmitting diseases. The problem is more pronounced in tropical Asia and Africa with non-human primates, elephants, several species of ungulates, rodents, frugivorous and grainivorous birds causing agricultural losses. In Europe and America the damage is due to carnivore predation on livestock, bird damage in cereal crops and rodent problem in urban and agricultural situations. Although there are several excellent books on rodent pest management both in India and at global level, there is a conspicuous lacuna of published books on vertebrate pest management. Even the few publications on the subject mostly deal with birds, rodents, bears, rabbits, foxes, etc because they are written by Americans or Britishers. Because their emphasis is on the problem prevalent in their countries and evaluation of management options available to them. In contrast the problem in tropics especially in India is unique. Rodents of course, are the most destructive. But what rodents do over twelve months of year is matched by a few nights of devastating crop raids by elephants or week long foraging by monkeys. Sporadic and localized damage is inflicted by several species of birds, bats, wild boar, blue bull, bears, hares, peacock etc. The damage is sometimes so high, it is impossible for a subsistence farmer to accept stoically the loss of his entire food source over a couple of days and nights. However, his options are limited in view of conservations and protection status enjoyed by some of these animals. The problem is compounded by religious sentiments associated with a few of them. This book is an attempt to find an acceptable solution to the problem of crop losses of these less studied but economically important groups of vertebrate pests. Sincere efforts have gone into formulation of recommendations keeping in mind the biological needs of vertebrate pests, their conservation status and suffering of the poor farmer. Many a time the sympathies deservedly go to the speechless marauders of crops as it is man who has shrunk, degraded and destroyed their habitat, deprived them of their natural source of food. There are no choices for vertebrate pests but raid the crops in their range but we, humans have several to survive. The book is an attempt to understand this dilemma.

Reference and planning guide for pest managers, policy makers and others interested in better control of the damage caused by Australia's major pests. First in a series providing humane, scientifically based guidelines for managing feral animals. Emphasises the management of pest damage, rather than the pest itself and treats pests as an element of a whole system approach to land management. Includes references and appendices.

Our best-selling guide for almonds covers 120 different pest problems including diseases, insects and mites, nematodes, vertebrate pests, and weeds; including 10 new insect pests and diseases including anthracnose, Alternaria leaf blight, rust, tenlined June beetle, and leafhoppers. New in the second edition you'll find: An extensively revised chapter on vertebrate pest management which adds recommendations for control techniques where endangered species occur. A revised and expanded chapter on vegetation management including detailed information on cover crops. A revised section on navel orangeworm, emphasizing cultural control techniques instead of insecticides. A revised section on peach twig borer includes discussions of bloomtime sprays with Bacillus thuringiensis and pheromone mating disruption. Revised and updated tables on susceptibility of rootstocks and scion cultivars to major pests and a detailed index. This indispensable reference is illustrated with 259 photos, including 33 new color photos, along with 69 line drawings and tables.

Pest animals are but one of many factors that influence the desired outcome from managing natural resource based systems, whether for production or conservation purposes. Others include diseases, weeds, financial resources, weather and fire management. To be effective, an integrated and systematic approach is required, and the principles and strategic approach outlined in this book can also be used to plan and manage the damage due to other factors. Managing Australia's Pest Animals includes case studies of successful and unsuccessful pest management strategies and covers a range of topics, including the history of pest management, current best practice principles, and guidelines for planning and applying strategic pest management approaches to effectively reduce pest damage. This book is the first clear and comprehensive guide to best practice pest management in Australia and will benefit students and trainers of pest managers, landholders, people involved in natural resource management, and industry and government pest management staff. This book will be of great benefit to students and trainers of pest managers, landholders, pest management staff, or volunteers working in natural resource management, including private and public land managers, parks and wildlife staff, pest management agencies, local councils, Landcare and catchment management groups and private pest contractors.