Australian Capital Territory
Nature Conservation (Eastern Grey Kangaroo) Rural Culling Calculator Determination 2017
Notifiable instrument NI2017–224
made under the  
Nature Conservation (Eastern Grey Kangaroo) Controlled Native Species Management Plan 2017, s 2.3 (Implementation of the management plan)

1	Name of instrument
This instrument is the Nature Conservation (Eastern Grey Kangaroo) Rural Culling Calculator Determination 2017.
2	Commencement 
This instrument commences on the commencement of the Nature Conservation (Eastern Grey Kangaroo) Controlled Native Species Management Plan 2017. 
3	Damage mitigation calculator
I determine the Nature Conservation (Eastern Grey Kangaroo) Rural Culling Calculator in schedule 1. 

Annie Lane
Conservator of Flora and Fauna
11 May 2017

Schedule 1	Nature Conservation (Eastern Grey 
	Kangaroo) Rural Culling Calculator

(see s 3)
Summary

This instrument determines the maximum number of Eastern Grey Kangaroos allowed to be culled each year by ACT rural lands and horse paddocks for land management purposes under section 2.3 of the Nature Conservation (Eastern Grey Kangaroo) Controlled Native Species Management Plan 2017 Disallowable Instrument 
DI2017-37 (Management Plan). Management of Eastern Grey Kangaroos (EGK) on rural land is intended to reduce competition with domestic stock, manage total grazing pressure and ensure land is managed sustainably, whilst adhering to strict animal welfare standards. 
Conservation of EGK populations in the ACT is not reliant on rural land, given the relatively large area in conservation reserves that provides extensive habitat for kangaroos. Thus authorisation of rural culling is directed towards reducing kangaroo grazing impact and achieving long-term sustainable densities. The decision of how many EGK to cull on any particular property is best considered as a business decision by individual landholders, whilst Government control ensures that animal welfare and safety standards are strictly adhered to, in accordance with policy set out in the Management Plan. Government requirements for animal welfare include determining an appropriate kangaroo culling season to avoid times when young kangaroos are vulnerable to the loss of their mothers, and setting demanding accuracy standards for shooter testing. 
This Rural Culling Calculator sets a maximum number that will be authorised to cull in any year. The calculated number will be in excess of need for properties which have undergone annual culling, but might be insufficient for properties that have not had culls for several years, particularly if the property adjoins unculled grasslands, such as some conservation reserves.  However landholders in this situation should be able to achieve their desired density with two annual applications of the maximum number allowed. Culling annually rather than intermittently reduces both the impact of kangaroo grazing and the total number of kangaroos culled. 
For detailed explanations and supporting references refer to the Management Plan.
Nature Conservation (Eastern Grey Kangaroo) Rural Culling Calculator
Mixed Sex Culling Period – 1st March to 31st July
Maximum permitted cull in any single calendar year = 2.0 EGK / ha multiplied by an immigration factor. 
The immigration factor = 1+ (PA/5) where PA is the perimeter (km) to area (km2) ratio.
The immigration factor compensates for difficulties applying to small properties and long narrow properties. The full formula enables the legitimate needs of almost any property owner to be met while preventing excessive culling. This simple formula distils more than a decade of experience of the governments’ ecologists using more complex formulas which included terms for property carrying capacity, the nature of adjoining land, and the culling carried out in the previous two years.
Male-only Culling Period – 1st August to 31st October
After the end of the normal culling period from March to July, male-only culls may be permitted from August to October, primarily as a scaring mechanism to deter kangaroos from spelled paddocks where spring growth is being preserved for later use by livestock. It is important that this is used as an adjunct to the normal culling season, not an alternative to it, thus male only culling is limited to a small proportion (30%) of the number actually culled in the mixed sex culling period. 
Maximum permitted male only cull = 30% of total number culled during the mixed sex period of that year as reported by the land owner in the “Kangaroo Culling Return” for their mixed sex cull.
References
Nature Conservation (Eastern Grey Kangaroo) Controlled Native Species Management Plan 2017 Disallowable Instrument DI2017-37