Academic literature on the topic 'Tourism Northern Territory Kakadu National Park'

Bat species recorded during recent CSlRO fauna surveys of Kakadu National Park (1980-83) are documented, together with information on abundance and distribution of species in five habitats. Twenty-one species were detected comprising 12 genera and six families. More species were recorded in the open forest and woodland areas, probably because of their greater structural complexity, the availability of tree hollows as roost sites and the larger area of such habitat in the region. A further four species are known to occur in the Park, bringing the total to 25 species comprising 14 genera and six families. The richness and composition of this assemblage was compared with that of other areas in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of Australia. The Kakadu bat fauna has its strongest affinities with that of the Kimberley region. Specific similarity declines linearly with (direct) distance from Kakadu, but generic similarity shows no significant linear trend. The Kakadu region supports a rich bat fauna, including several species which are regarded as rare or of limited distribution. This has considerable significance for their conservation.

This study was undertaken to establish the status and distribution of macropods in Kakadu National Park. The study utilised the knowledge of the traditional Aboriginal owners of the park and collected information from field surveys, literature and personal communications. Distribution maps are given and species status is assessed . Macropus agilis, M. antilopinus and M. bernardus are common in Kakadu, although M. bernardus has a restricted distribution. M. robustus is not as common as the other species of Macropus and has a restricted distribution. Petrogale brachyotis is locally abundant while Peradorcas concinna is scarce; both species have restricted distributions. Onychogalea unguifera has been recorded infrequently, and there is only one record of Lagorchestes conspicillatus from Kakadu.

The ectoparasites of northern quolls, Dasyurus hallucatus, are reported from 79 animals live-trapped at Kapalga Research Station, Kakadu National Park, during 1992–95. The ecto- and endoparasites are reported from 62 dead D. hallucatus during the same period; these were mostly road-kills collected from an 88-km section of the Arnhem Highway between Jabiru and the Northern Entry Station of Kakadu National Park. Tissues from 28 of the road-kills were examined histologically. Additionally, 214 scat samples were examined for ecto- and endoparasites. Seven species of ectoparasite, including two species of tick, a larval trombiculid mite, a louse and two (possibly three) species of flea, and 17 species of endoparasite including a trematode, a larval cestode, 13 species of nematode, a larval pentastome and a protozoan were recorded from D. hallucatus. Sarcocystis sp. was found in tissues but neither Toxoplasma gondii nor Trichinella pseudospiralis were detected in histological sections or tissue digests. Ticks, mites and nematodes were found in scats. The tick Haemaphysalis bancrofti, the flea Echidnophaga aranka and possibly E. ambulans, and the nematodes Mackerrastrongylus peramelis and Cylicospirura heydoni represent new host records for D. hallucatus. Although parasitism was common in D. hallucatus, few individuals harboured large burdens. Consequently, it appears unlikely that parasitism is a major factor contributing to the decline of northern quolls in this region.

The diet of the brush-tailed rabbit-rat (Conilurus penicillatus) was assessed by microscopic analysis of faecal samples from 35 individuals collected from three different sites in the Northern Territory (Garig Gunak Barlu National Park (Cobourg Peninsula), Kakadu National Park and Melville Island) at various times of the year during 2000–02. Seed was the most abundant item in the overall diet of C. penicillatus, making up 68% of identifiable particles, with smaller proportions contributed by leaves (21%), plant stems (8%) and insects (2%). ANOSIM tests revealed no difference in diet between the sexes and seasons, but there was a significant difference in the diet between the sites, with seed material present in 74% of the samples from Cobourg and in 62% and 58% of samples from Kakadu and Melville respectively. Leaf matter was present in 19% of samples from Cobourg and in 26% and 24% of samples from Kakadu and Melville respectively. Stem material was present in only 6% of samples from Cobourg and in 8% and 13% of samples from Kakadu and Melville respectively. Insect matter was present in small quantities across all three sites. The high proportion of seed in the diet suggests that C. penicillatus is primarily granivorous.

The Australian species of the water beetle genus Hydraena Kugelann, 1794, are revised, based on the study of 7,654 specimens. The 29 previously named species are redescribed, and 56 new species are described. The species are placed in 24 species groups. High resolution digital images of all primary types are presented (online version in color), and geographic distributions are mapped. Male genitalia, representative female terminal abdominal segments and representative spermathecae are illustrated. Australian Hydraena are typically found in sandy/gravelly stream margins, often in association with streamside litter; some species are primarily pond dwelling, a few species are humicolous, and one species may be subterranean. The areas of endemicity and species richness coincide quite closely with the Bassian, Torresian, and Timorian biogeographic subregions. Eleven species are shared between the Bassian and Torresian subregions, and twelve are shared between the Torresian and Timorian subregions. Only one species, H. impercepta Zwick, is known to be found in both Australia and Papua New Guinea. One Australian species, H. ambiflagellata, is also known from New Zealand. New species of Hydraena are: H. affirmata (Queensland, Palmerston National Park, Learmouth Creek), H. ambiosina (Queensland, 7 km NE of Tolga), H. antaria (New South Wales, Bruxner Flora Reserve), H. appetita (New South Wales, 14 km W Delagate), H. arcta (Western Australia, Synnot Creek), H. ascensa (Queensland, Rocky Creek, Kennedy Hwy.), H. athertonica (Queensland, Davies Creek), H. australula (Western Australia, Synnot Creek), H. bidefensa (New South Wales, Bruxner Flora Reserve), H. biimpressa (Queensland, 19.5 km ESE Mareeba), H. capacis (New South Wales, Unumgar State Forest, near Grevillia), H. capetribensis (Queensland, Cape Tribulation area), H. converga (Northern Territory, Roderick Creek, Gregory National Park), H. cubista (Western Australia, Mining Camp, Mitchell Plateau), H. cultrata (New South Wales, Bruxner Flora Reserve), H. cunninghamensis (Queensland, Main Range National Park, Cunningham's Gap, Gap Creek), H. darwini (Northern Territory, Darwin), H. deliquesca (Queensland, 5 km E Wallaman Falls), H. disparamera (Queensland, Cape Hillsborough), H. dorrigoensis (New South Wales, Dorrigo National Park, Rosewood Creek, upstream from Coachwood Falls), H. ferethula (Northern Territory, Cooper Creek, 19 km E by S of Mt. Borradaile), H. finniganensis (Queensland, Gap Creek, 5 km ESE Mt. Finnigan), H. forticollis (Western Australia, 4 km W of King Cascade), H. fundaequalis (Victoria, Simpson Creek, 12 km SW Orbost), H. fundata (Queensland, Hann Tableland, 13 km WNW Mareeba), H. hypipamee (Queensland, Mt. Hypipamee National Park, 14 km SW Malanda), H. inancala (Queensland, Girraween National Park, Bald Rock Creek at "Under-ground Creek"), H. innuda (Western Australia, Mitchell Plateau, 16 mi. N Amax Camp), H. intraangulata (Queensland, Leo Creek Mine, McIlwrath Range, E of Coen), H. invicta (New South Wales, Sydney), H. kakadu (Northern Territory, Kakadu National Park, Gubara), H. larsoni (Queensland, Windsor Tablelands), H. latisoror (Queensland, Lamington National Park, stream at head of Moran's Falls), H. luminicollis (Queensland, Lamington National Park, stream at head of Moran's Falls), H. metzeni (Queensland, 15 km NE Mareeba), H. millerorum (Victoria, Traralgon Creek, 0.2 km N 'Hogg Bridge', 5.0 km NNW Balook), H. miniretia (Queensland, Mt. Hypipamee National Park, 14 km SW Malanda), H. mitchellensis (Western Australia, 4 km SbyW Mining Camp, Mitchell Plateau), H. monteithi (Queensland, Thornton Peak, 11 km NE Daintree), H. parciplumea (Northern Territory, McArthur River, 80 km SW of Borroloola), H. porchi (Victoria, Kangaroo Creek on Springhill Rd., 5.8 km E Glenlyon), H. pugillista (Queensland, 7 km N Mt. Spurgeon), H. queenslandica (Queensland, Laceys Creek, 10 km SE El Arish), H. reticuloides (Queensland, 3 km ENE of Mt. Tozer), H. reticulositis (Western Australia, Mining Camp, Mitchell Plateau), H. revelovela (Northern Territory, Kakadu National Park, GungurulLookout), H. spinissima (Queensland, Main Range National Park, Cunningham's Gap, Gap Creek), H. storeyi (Queensland, Cow Bay, N of Daintree River), H. tenuisella (Queensland, 3 km W of Batavia Downs), H. tenuisoror (Australian Capital Territory, Wombat Creek, 6 km NE of Piccadilly Circus), H. textila (Queensland, Laceys Creek, 10 km SE El Arish), H. tridisca (Queensland, Mt. Hemmant), H. triloba (Queensland, Mulgrave River, Goldsborough Road Crossing), H. wattsi (Northern Territory, Holmes Jungle, 11 km NE by E of Darwin), H. weiri (Western Australia, 14 km SbyE Kalumburu Mission), H. zwicki (Queensland, Clacherty Road, via Julatten).

Estuaries are recognised globally as areas of high production, diversity and high economic value. Exploitation of the economic potential of estuaries and attendant infrastructural development plus expansion of human populations has resulted in degradation of estuaries worldwide. Many estuaries of northern Australia, in contrast, remain in good ecological condition. The estuarine fish fauna of the South Alligator River, Kakadu region of northern Australia was investigated to determine seasonal and spatial variation in composition. Beam trawls were used at 94 locations over the wet and dry seasons of 2012. In total, 81 taxa were collected, 26 of which had not previously been recorded in the river. Sciaenidae and Engraulidae dominated species richness and abundance. Samples were heterogeneous in terms of composition and abundance in a manner unrelated to any measured aspect of the habitat over which trawls occurred. Species richness was higher in the lower estuary than the upper estuary and more species were detected during the wet season. Turnover in assemblage structure between sampling occasions was associated with seasonal variation in discharge concordant with changes in salinity and potentially productivity. Compositional variation was largely ascribed to differential spawning phenology of adults and tolerance to fluctuating salinity. The Kakadu region supports a rich fish fauna moderately distinct from that observed elsewhere in the Northern Territory. Pronounced temporal turnover in assemblage structure and spatial variation at a variety of scales (i.e. within samples, and within and between rivers) collectively pose a challenge to management in light of ongoing and proposed development of the water resources of northern Australia, including its estuaries.

(1) Aerial survey methods for estimating population size of feral water buffalo in northern Australia were examined. (2) Line transect models underestimated population size. Of six models tested the most accurate underestimated by nearly half. The models give biased estimates most probably because not all animals on the survey line were sighted . (3) Aerial strip transect surveys were also negatively biased. The extent of this bias was estimated in index-removal experiments. Experiments were carried out on two populations in areas of differing obstructive canopy cover. (4) In woodland habitat with a canopy cover of 30- 60%, a correction factor of 3.2 was required to take account of animals not seen. In forest habitat with a canopy cover of 60-100%, a correction factor of 4.9 was required. (5) Using these results, the population size of feral buffalo, cattle and horses in Kakadu National Park was estimated by aerial survey at the end of each year over 6 years. Annual rates of increase for three regions of the Park were estimated, taking into account known removals from the population. The effects of dry season rainfall and population density in the preceding year on rate of increase were examined for each species. (6) The mean annual exponential rate of increase for each species was 0.10 yr-1 for buffalo, 0.23 yr-1 for cattle and -0.14 yr-1 for horses. (7) The annual rates of increase varied greatly between years within all species and were highly correlated with dry season rainfall in the year of survey for buffalo and cattle but not for horses. (8) No significant effect of preceding density on rate of increase was found for any species. A large reduction in buffalo populations did not correspond with an increase in unharvested populations of horses, suggesting the two species do not compete for food or other resources. (9) A campaign to control populations of feral water buffalo in Kakadu National Park was assessed. Between 1979 and 1988, approximately 79,000 animals were removed, 54% by commercial live-capture, 35% by shooting from helicopters and 10% by shooting from the ground. (10) In the period 1983-1988 when population estimates from aerial survey are available, mean buffalo population density was reduced from 5.60 km-2 to 1.17 km-2 over the surveyed area of the Park. (11) The costs of removal by shooting from helicopters, capturing animals alive and shooting from the ground were compared. The mean costs per animal in 1988 were $24.13, $74.53, and $86.02 respectively. (12) The effects of initial density and time spent shooting on number of animals removed by shooting from helicopters were examined. One linear and two curvilinear models were fitted to data from four different removal exercises. The relationship between time spent shooting and number removed was best described by a curvilinear (Ivlev) function. This model was used to estimate costs of control to a specified density. (13) Model regression coefficients differed between removal exercises, suggesting that the number removed may be affected by variables other than time spent shooting and initial density. Data from the range of conditions encountered during removal is thus likely to be required for robust estimation of removal costs.

In the past fire ecology literature in the tropics has focused mostly on the role of fire within the savanna biome. The fire ecology of tropical wetlands has been largely neglected. This thesis attempts to redress this imbalance by examining the fire behaviour of the wetlands in Kakadu National Park, northern Australia. Wetland burning has become a critical management issue in the Park, particularly since the eradication of the feral Asian water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis Linnaeus) from the Park. Fuel loads, which had been previously suppressed by grazing and trampling, have increased substantially, and this has subsequently affected the fire ecology of the region. This thesis investigates aspects of fire ecology in the Mclaleucafloodplain communities of Kakadu. It examines Aboriginal people's contemporary use and knowledge of fire, as well as the fire behaviour and impact of fires both set by Aboriginal people and from other sources of ignition. In addition, a 'Wetland Burning Index' (WBI) is compiled in order to examine some of the interactions between wetland fuel, weather and fire behaviour. A range of ecological and ethnoecological methodologies are employed in order to measure fire behaviour in situ rather than approximating specific fire regimes under experimental conditions. The thesis assesses the effectiveness and practicability of these methods. A description of wetland fire behaviour is also given, and includes a range of fire types and phenomena. Aboriginal names of fires, and related terms, are also detailed (in the Gundjeihmi language), some of which have not been previously documented. The study concludes by discussing how indigenous people's knowledge of fire can contribute to the field of wetland fire ecology. It also discusses how different fire types can be used to manage tropical wetland ecosystems.

Each day the joint managers of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park receive packages of returned rocks and sand that have been removed from the landscape by visitors as a souvenir of the place. The returned objects are sent from people all over the world as the stories of this phenomenon travel well beyond the Park boundaries. Known within the Park as the ‘sorry rocks’, these returned objects and their accompanying letters of apology reflect the different ways in which people engage with the landscape and interpret their surrounds. In this research, the sorry rocks have been used as a medium for examining the complex relationships that exist between visitors, heritage management and interpretation particularly in cross-cultural settings that recognise Indigenous cultural heritage. THIS THESIS CAN BE VIEWED AT UWS LIBRARY FOR RESEARCH OR PRIVATE STUDY PURPOSES ONLY BY PRIOR ARRANGEMENT.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Human-environment interactions will be profoundly affected by anthropogenic climate change. Coastal communities, dependent on freshwater ecosystems for their livelihoods and cultural practices, are likely to be seriously impacted by rising sea level. For communities already subject to marginalising forces of remoteness, poverty or the legacies of colonisation, climate change impacts will likely compound existing stressors. The freshwater floodplains of the Alligator Rivers Region in the Northern Territory, spanning Kakadu National Park and part of West Arnhem Land, represent such a place. This area is at risk from sea level rise, particularly saltwater intrusion, while also home to Aboriginal Australians continuing to practice customary or subsistence harvesting based on freshwater resources. In seeking to support sustainable adaptation to climate change in this context, this thesis examines Indigenous people’s experiences, in living memory, of responding to past and persisting social-ecological change. A place-based, contextual framing approach was used to examine vulnerability and adaptive capacity. Through semi-structured interviews, trips on country, cultural resource mapping and archival work, contemporary patterns of freshwater resource use and Aboriginal people’s perceptions of changes to their freshwater hunting, fishing and gathering activities (collectively termed ‘harvesting’) were examined. Qualitative models were used to conceptualise factors influencing an individual’s ability to engage in freshwater customary harvesting and the determinants shaping adaptive capacity for customary harvesting. The social-ecological drivers of change in freshwater harvesting practices raised by respondents included: existing threats from introduced animals and plants, altered floodplain fire regimes and the ‘bust then boom’ in saltwater crocodile population following recovery from commercial hunting. These all had implications for sustaining customary harvesting practices including restricting access and the transmission of knowledge. Impacts driven by the introduced cane toad, invasive para grass and saltwater crocodile population change, represent examples of solastalgia, particularly for women’s harvesting practices. In addition to environmental conditions, determinants of adaptive capacity of customary harvesting included; mobility on country- particularly supported through on country livelihoods and outstations, social networks facilitating access and knowledge sharing, health and well-being and inter-generational knowledge transmission. Past experience of saltwater intrusion facilitated by feral water buffalo in Kakadu was examined through the lens of social learning, as a historical analogue for future sea level rise. These experiences were shown to influence contemporary perceptions of risk and adaptive preferences for future sea level rise. Customary harvesting was also found to offer unique opportunities to improve remote Indigenous development outcomes across diverse sectors. To build adaptive capacity supporting freshwater customary harvesting practices in this context it will be essential to; understand historical trajectories of social-ecological change, recognise the potential for diversity within groups- including a gendered analysis of adaptive capacity, address existing social-ecological stressors and foster knowledge collaborations for supporting knowledge transmission, the co-production of knowledge and sustaining social networks. Facilitating a social learning environment will be particularly crucial in supporting local autonomy, leadership and experimental learning, and is particularly beneficial in jointly managed protected area contexts. Most importantly, incorporating local Indigenous knowledge, values, perceptions of change and risk into locally-developed adaptation strategies will be essential in developing more culturally relevant and thus sustainable, adaptation pathways.

13 uranium mines operated in the South Alligator Valley of Australia’s Northern Territory between 1953 and 1963. At the end of operations the mines, and associated infrastructure, were simply abandoned. As this activity preceded environmental legislation by about 15 years there was neither any obligation, nor attempt, at remediation. In the 1980s it was decided that the whole area should become an extension of the adjacent World Heritage, Kakadu National Park. As a result the Commonwealth Government made an inventory of the abandoned mines and associated facilities in 1986. This established the size and scope of the liability and formed the framework for a possible future remediation project. The initial program for the reduction of physical and radiological hazards at each of the identified sites was formulated in 1989 and the works took place from 1990 to 1992. But even at this time, as throughout much of the valley’s history, little attention was being paid to the long term aspirations of traditional land owners. The traditional Aboriginal owners, the Gunlom Land Trust, were granted freehold Native Title to the area in 1996. They immediately leased the land back to the Commonwealth Government so it would remain a part of Kakadu National Park, but under joint management. One condition of the lease required that all evidence of former mining activity be remediated by 2015. The consultation, and subsequent planning processes, for a final remediation program began in 1997. A plan was agreed in 2003 and, after funding was granted in 2005, works implementation commenced in 2007. An earlier paper described the planning and consultation stages, experience involving the cleaning up of remant uranium mill tailings and other mining residues; and the successful implementation of the initial remediation works. This paper deals with the final planning and design processes to complete the remediation programme, which is due to occur in 2009. The issues of final containment design and long term stewardship are addressed in the paper as well as some comments on lessons learned through the life of the project.