Tourism_Dingoes_Australia

Affiliation
IIED
Type of wild species covered by the record
Wild species used in its natural habitat
Stage of the value chain covered by the record
Unknown/not recorded
Record Source
Scientific publication (e.g., journal articles and book chapters independently peer-reviewed)

When wildlife tourism goes wrong: a case study of stakeholder and management issues regarding Dingoes on Fraser Island, Australia

Unknown/not recorded
Is the species endemic HIDE
Unknown
Population Status
Unknown/not recorded
Unknown/not recorded
National Level
Unknown/not recorded
Threats/Pressures impacting the conservation of the species
Population Trend
Unknown/not recorded
Sub-national Level
Unknown/not recorded
Name
Emma Hemmerlé
Scientific Name
Canis lupus dingo
Common Name(s)
Dingo
Type of Use
Non-Extractive
Are specific characteristics/traits being targeted?
Unknown/not recorded
Purpose of Use
Recreational
Additional Details (if available)

Wildlife Tourism

What is the main end use for any living organisms, parts or products taken/extracted?
Amount
350000.00
Units Of Measurement
approximate number of tourists on the island annually
Time period over which this has been recorded
2003
What is the trend in the level of offtake within the period covered by this record?
Additional Details (if available)

. Currently, both direct and indirect feeding of Dingoes is strongly discouraged and transgressors face heavy penalties.

Geographic Location
Country
Australia
Sub region/state
Queensland
Name
Fraser Island
Site Description

Located off the Queensland coast, approximately 190km north of Brisbane, Fraser Island was given its European name after Captain James Fraser and his wife Eliza were shipwrecked there in 1836 (Sinclair 1990, p. 76–77). The world’s largest sand island, it is almost 125km long, 25km wide in some places, and over 160,000 ha in area.4

National external (individual, groups. e.g., hunters, anglers, photographers, tourists)
International external (individual, groups. e.g., hunters, anglers, photographers, tourists)
If more than one box ticked, please provide more details

tourists

Is the use part of a strategy to generate conservation incentives, to finance conservation, or to improve tolerance/stewardship?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting the conservation status of the species? HIDE
Yes – use is negatively affecting the status (e.g., population is declining; extraction effort is increasing)
Is there evidence that the use is affecting natural selection?
Unknown/not recorded
Is there evidence that the use is affecting poaching of illegal wildlife trade?
Unknown/not reported
Is there any evidence that this use of the species is having a knock-on effect on the status of non-target species
Unknown/not recorded
Unknown/not recorded
Details of assessment carried out

as the number of tourists to the island increase, so do the reports of Dingo attacks. The first recorded death from such an attack on Fraser Island occurred in April 2001, and was immediately followed by a government-ordered cull of Dingoes. For WT to be sustainable it is not acceptable to have wildlife a risk to human life, nor is it acceptable to eradicate the fauna visitors expect to see.

Has a valuation of financial flows from this use at the site/national/international level been recorded
No
Contribution to GDP
Unknown/not recorded
Medicine/healthcare
Training/Skills
Land/Resource Rights
Decision Making
Social Cohesion
Conflict- people
Conflict- wildlife
Climate Change

as the number of tourists to the island increase, so do the reports of Dingo attacks. The first recorded death from such an attack on Fraser Island occurred in April 2001, and was immediately followed by a government-ordered cull of Dingoes.
Between 1996 and 2001, 279 incidents were reported of which 74 were rated ‘insignificant’ 70 were rated ‘minor’, 95 ‘moderate’ 39 ‘major’ and 1 ‘catastrophic’ (EPA, 2001c, attachment 8).

Has the use of the species been recorded as resulting in changes to human health in this record?
Yes, recorded as negative
Has the species in use been noted as being of particular disease risk to humans?
Unknown/not recorded
Has the use of the species resulted in changes to animal welfare in this record?
Unknown/not recorded
Are there particular practices which have increased the risk to human or animal health or welfare in the use of this species?
Unknown/not recorded
Does the use of this species increase susceptibility to pathogen spread?
Unknown/not recorded

as the number of tourists to the island increase, so do the reports of Dingo attacks. The first recorded death from such an attack on Fraser Island occurred in April 2001, and was immediately followed by a government-ordered cull of Dingoes.

Unknown/not recorded
Support from NGOs
Present
Support from Government
Present
Biological characteristics of target species
Present
Source Reference(s)

Burns, G., & Howard, P. (2003). When wildlife tourism goes wrong: a case study of stakeholder and management issues regarding Dingoes on Fraser Island, Australia. Tourism Management, 24(6), 699-712. doi: 10.1016/s0261-5177(03)00146-8

as the number of tourists to the island increase, so do the reports of Dingo attacks. The first recorded death from such an attack on Fraser Island occurred in April 2001, and was immediately followed by a government-ordered cull of Dingoes. following the attack, a total of 31 dingoes were culled.

Threats/pressures impacting the species at the scale of this record
Who is involved in the use?
Is there any gender/age specificity in the various roles
Unknown/not recorded
How many of these local jobs accure to the following categories?
How many people outside the local area are employed
Is there any evidence of other economic benefits associated with this use beyond direct income and jobs
Unknown/Not recorded
Does the site have any designations? HIDE
Scale of Assessment
IUCN National Red List Category
IUCN Global Red List Category
Green Status Global Category
Yearly Financial Flows
No assessment recorded
Yes, considered unsustainable
Country reference