Tag: Research

Horses, camels and deer get a bad rap for razing plants – but our new research shows they’re no worse than native animals

  By ,

Robert Sleep/AAP Large introduced herbivores such as feral horses and camels are often seen as “invasive” species which damage native plants. My colleagues and I published new research in Science testing this assumption and found it isn’t true. Instead, both native and introduced species of plant-eating megafauna (weighing over 45 kilos) have similar impacts on plants. The effects of introduced megafauna on plants can drive negative public sentiment towards the species. It’s time to change how we think of these animals. ……………………… The double standard of ‘harm’ It can be a shock to see the impact of feral pigs, deer,… Continue reading

A decade of Anti-Brumby rhetoric has been challenged by new research showing over 99% of Bogong High Plains and 82% of the Eastern Victorian Alps had NO impact from horses.

  By , ,

ABA Media Release 7 July 2023 The recent study Use of density-impact functions to inform and improve environmental out-comes of feral horse management (Berman et al. 2023), published by Wildlife Biology, has upturned negative claims about the environmental impacts of Alpine horses and how best to help native species. Central to the new research is the premise that to better manage wild horses in the environment it is important to understand the relationship between horse density and the percentage of environmental impact attributed to horses. A key finding from the density-impact work is that, in the areas studied, below a… Continue reading

More Calls for Oversight of Australian Research

  By ,

There is growing concern that Australia needs an independent watchdog for academic research. Many other countries have some form of oversight and now even researchers, themselves, are pushing for better standards. Bellow are excerpts from 2 articles in The Converstation. ABA supports this view as research underpinning the management of wild horses needs to be unbiased, rigorous and open to new thinking. Research fraud: the temptation to lie – and the challenges of regulation Most scientists and medical researchers behave ethically. However, in recent years, the number of high-profile scandals in which researchers have been exposed as having falsified their data… Continue reading