This is probably an unfashionable thing to say but here goes...
I used to believe the story that cattle are a blight on the outback too, but
then I moved out here and spent a lot of time birding on land which has cattle
run on it and I have to say that while some lands suffer from poor management,
most don't. I have grudgingly had to admit that cattle rangelands, in the Red
Centre at least, are often excellent habitats for desert birds. The best sites
I know for certain rare arid-zone endemics like Grey Honeyeater and Cinnamon
Quail Thrush are on cattle-stocked land, and seeing a Bustard away from a
cattle station out here is a rare event indeed. This is of course not empirical
evidence but this direct experience has been enough for me over the years to
change my view of cattle's role in the outback. Comparing cattle to feral
camels is comparing chalk to cheese. The biggest difference I see between them
and camels is the predation- outback cattle have very effective predators- us!
The meat is in high demand and an
industry is in place to harvest the animals. So, unlike the camels, cattle
numbers don't double every 8 years ad infinitum! The beef industry provides
vital employment in the remote outback, particularly for indigenous people, and
when we go birding in the outback very often the services you and I rely on out
there are only made viable by the existence of those cattle stations. I accept
that cattle are not the ideal animal for farming in the outback but they are
the only serious option for now and if well managed they are a better use of
the land than they are usually given credit for.
Mark Carter
Alice Springs
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