<
https://theconversation.com/theyre-on-our-coat-of-arms-but-extinct-in-tasmania-rewilding-with-emus-will-be-good-for-the-island-states-ecosystems-197029>
"The emu is iconically Australian, appearing on cans, coins, cricket bats and
our national coat of arms, as well as that of the Tasmanian capital, Hobart.
However, most people don’t realise emus once also roamed Tasmania but are now
extinct there.
Where did these Tasmanian emus live? Why did they go extinct? And should we
reintroduce them?
Our newly published research combined historical records with population models
to find out. We found emus lived across most of eastern Tasmania, including
near Hobart, Launceston, Devonport, the Midlands and the east coast. However,
in the early days of British occupation, colonists hunting with purpose-bred
dogs slaughtered so many emus that the population crashed.
It’s not all bad news, though. Those areas still provide enough good, safe emu
habitat to make reintroducing emus from the Australian mainland to Tasmania a
realistic option.
Large animals, such as bison, wolves and giant tortoises are already part of
global efforts to repair and maintain ecosystems and prevent more extinctions,
through the conservation movement known as “rewilding”.
In Tasmania, rewilding with emus might help native plants to cope with a
changing climate. As our world warms, the places where conditions are just
right for particular plant species are shifting. Those plants must disperse far
and fast to keep up. Introducing emus, which disperse many plant seeds in their
droppings, could help."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
