Rent-a-Roo?

ENVIRONMENT

A proposed new policy in Australia would allow wildlife to be leased to private landowners in bid to save threatened species. (Australian Geographic)

Is selling or leasing wildlife part of the conservation strategy of any other countries?

Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit, including today’s thought-provoking polls.

Discussion Ideas

• A proposed new policy in Australia suggests a system of “leasing” populations of Australia’s indigenous species to private landowners. What are some examples of Australia’s dazzling indigenous species?
  • Get ready for your glamor shots, Aussies! Here is a fantastic photo album from Joel Sartore’s Photo Ark. For goodness sake, click to enlarge!!

The sacred kingfisher is common throughout Australia and New Zealand. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

No, this isn’t Scrat from the Ice Age movies. It’s a numbat, an endangered marsupial. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

This is the death adder. As you may have guessed, it’s venomous. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

This critter is a golden bandicoot, another of Australia’s marsupials. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

Yep, it’s another marsupial, this one a tiger quoll. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

Nothing looks quite like New Zealand’s iconic kiwi. This species, the North Island brown kiwi, is endangered. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

Surprise! Not a kangaroo. It’s a red-necked wallaby, another marsupial. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

This leggy beauty is a cassowary, one of our favorite birds here at Nat Geo. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

The southern orange-eyed tree frog is one of Australia’s indigenous amphibians. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

Be afraid: Behold the Sydney funnel-web spider, one of the most dangerous in the world. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

We didn’t know what this was, either. It’s a woylie, a type of bettong. And yes, another marsupial. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

Never smile at a crocodile. Never tip your hat and stop to talk awhile. Never run, walk away, say good-night, not good-day. Clear the aisle but never smile at Mister Crocodile. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

Monotreme alert! It’s an echidna! Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

Fact: Wombats not only fart, but poop square-shaped feces. Is that the only thing you’ll remember from this study guide?
Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

Snake-necked turtles like this one are sometimes called side-necked turtles. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

Dingoes are usually classified as a sub-species of wolf. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

The healthy nose of this Tasmanian devil is just sniffing things out. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

KOALAS! CUTENESS! Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

Monotreme alert! It’s a duck-billed platypus, of course. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

Western grey kangaroos are nicknamed “stinkers.” Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark

• How is wildlife currently managed in Australia?
  • “The Australian and New Zealand governments maintain a hegemony over the management of wildlife,” keeping wildlife “conserved through a combination of pristine parks, and non-use of nationalized wildlife on land outside [the parks].”

• How would the proposed law work?
  • In simple terms, “private landowners could obtain species from areas where they are overpopulated, breed them and then release them back into parts of the wild where their numbers are dwindling.”
    • Landowners could also “breed these animals and sell surpluses to other landholders wanting to establish new colonies.”
    • Landowners would not officially own the animals. They would lease animals owned by the government.
      • “Leases of wildlife to private landholders would have conditions attached. Leased animals could be traded as is currently the case between zoos, and … [g]overnments would enforce animal welfare codes, administer control over genetic issues, selection and breeding, and releases of species beyond their natural range.”

• How do supporters say the proposed policy would help conservation efforts?
  • Private, fenced-in land would offer animals increased protection from predators.
  • Captive breeding has generally proven to be a successful strategy for preserving species.
  • A wildlife market would provide landowners an economic incentive to conserve habitat.
  • Less regulation and money from government programs could allow the government to focus conservation efforts on other strategies.

• Why do some conservationists oppose the proposed policy?
  • The policy would likely prioritize charismatic and cute animals. “The idea of putting endangered species into sort of a market trade dynamic is, on the whole, a little bit frightening,” says one conservation biologist. “What happens when the market for an endangered species tanks for whatever reason? And we don’t have a market incentive to save it anymore?”
  • Some conservationists are skeptical about the treatment animals may receive in private habitats or breeding facilities.
  • Some conservationists fear the new policy will restrict what is now national heritage into the hands of a wealthy elite.
  • Some conservationists worry the policy may increase the market and opportunity for unregulated game reserves.

• Do any other countries engage in public-private ownership of indigenous wildlife?
  • Yes, “[s]ince the 1970s, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, and South Africa [have allowed] landholders … to commercially use the wildlife on their lands.”
    • This policy is known as the “Arusha principle” after a 1961 wildlife conference in Arusha, Tanzania. The Arusha principle holds that “only by the planned utilization of wildlife as a renewable natural resource, either for protein or as a recreational attraction, can wildlife conservation and development be economically justified in competition with agriculture, stock ranching and other forms of land use.”

TEACHERS TOOLKIT

Australian Geographic: Wildlife to be leased to private land owners in bid to save threatened species

Nat Geo: Drought Forces Zimbabwe to Sell Animals

Nat Geo: Photo Ark

(extra credit!) Conservation Letters: Market-Based Incentives and Private Ownership of Wildlife to Remedy Shortfalls in Government Funding for Conservation