Sustainable Use

• Introduction
• Access to Biological Resources in South Australia
• Rangelands
• Wildlife Management
• Fauna Permits
• Collection of Native Seeds and Fruits
• Kangaroo Conservation and Management Program
• Duck and Quail Hunting in 2008
• Contact

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Introduction

A pastoral lessee and a Departmental Assessment Officer monitoring a photo point. (Photo: B Lay)

Sustainable use of wildlife (native plants and animals) and ecological systems is a feature of South Australia’s nature conservation program.

Access to Biological Resources in South Australia

The discussion paper (300Kb PDF) explores options for industry to gain access to the State’s biological resources.

South Australia’s biological resources, including fauna and flora on land and in the sea, have been used as a source of raw materials by the pharmaceutical and food industries and, increasingly, by biotechnology industries in the development of new products. An example is AMRAD, an Australian pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, which collects plants and marine organisms and uses these, for example, to test for their toxicity against human cancer cells.

The South Australian Research and Development Institute has collected the Ixodia daisy, a popular dried flower crop, and developed it through a varietal improvement program.

The Convention on Biological Diversity requires that a company which develops products from the State's biological resources shares the benefits with the community.

Rangelands

In the arid northern areas of the State, there are extensive areas of natural habitat under pastoral lease that are grazed by cattle and/or sheep. These areas are managed to sustain a pastoral industry in a rangeland environment while also protecting the area’s biodiversity. Also three species of our large kangaroos, reds, western greys and euros, are harvested from these rangelands for meat and skins. This trade provides meat products for the restaurant and supermarket trade and high quality leather for use in clothes, shoes and accessories.

Wildlife Management

Fauna Permits

Cape Barren Geese are regarded as a threatened species but cause management problems on some farmland. (Photo: R. Jenkins)

A streamlined permit system enables people to keep and appreciate wildlife. All in all, about 7,000 permit holders keep a wide variety of birds, mammals and reptiles as pets and sources of income via trade to the pet industry.

Two species of birds, the emu and Cape Barren Goose, are farmed for human use - emus provide good quality meat and leather and the goose provides succulent table fare.

A rapidly increasing area of trade is in the use of "bush tucker". The seeds and berries of our native plants may be harvested from wild growing plants or from plants especially grown for these projects, eg quandongs and muntries. There is also a demand for seeds of our native plants to be used in regeneration projects for shelterbelts, firewood plantations or where degraded areas are being rehabilitated.

Seven species of duck and the stubble quail provide for hunting within defined seasons. The birds killed are eaten by the hunters and their families and cannot be sold. The appreciation of these game species encourages land managers to conserve habitat on their properties so that they may continue to exercise this privilege of hunting.

See Fauna Permit website.

Photo: P Wainwright

Duck and Quail Hunting in 2008

General Open Season Information

Due to the continuing drought conditions throughout south-eastern Australia there will be no duck hunting in South Australia during 2008.

A restricted quail-hunting season has been declared. 

See General Open Season Information.