Австралиядағы динголардан қорғау қоршауы

Large pest exclusion fence in Australia

The Dingo Fence or Dog Fence is a pest exclusion fence in Australia to keep dingoes out of the relatively fertile south east part of the continent (where they have largely been exterminated) and protect the sheep flocks of southern Queensland. It is one of the longest structures in the world. It stretches from Jimbour on the Darling Downs near Dalby through thousands of kilometres of arid land ending west of Eyre peninsula on cliffs of the Nullarbor Plain above the Great Australian Bight near Nundroo. It has been partly successful, though dingoes can still be found in parts of the southern states. Although the fence has helped reduce losses of sheep to predators, this has been countered by holes in fences found in the 1990s through which dingo offspring have passed

The section of the fence in Queensland is also known as the Great Barrier Fence or Wild Dog Barrier Fence 11. It is administered by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. The Wild Dog Barrier Fence staff consists of 23 employees, including two person teams that patrol a section of the fence once every week. There are depots at Quilpie and Roma. The Queensland Border Fence stretches for westwards along the border with New South Wales, into the Strzelecki Desert. The fence passes the point where the three states of Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia meet (Cameron Corner). At this point, it connects with the South Australian Border Fence, which runs for southwards along the border with New South Wales, these two sections are managed by the New South Wales Wild Dog Destruction Board. It then joins a section known as the Dog Fence in South Australia, which is long. The fence line on both sides is cleared to a width. Sheep and cattle stations protected by the fence are exceptionally large. Parts of the Dingo Fence are lit at night by cold cathode fluorescent lamps which are alternately red and white. They are powered by long life batteries which are charged by photovoltaic cells during the day. At minor and farm crossings, a series of gates allow vehicles to pass through the fence. Where the fence intersects major roads and highways, cattle grids are used to allow high speed vehicles through.

It seems that there are fewer kangaroos and emus on the northwestern side of the fence where the dingoes are, suggesting that the dingoes' presence reduces the populations of those animals. It has also been suggested that the larger kangaroo populations inside the fence have been caused by the lack of dingo predation, and competition for food leads to lower sheep stocking rates than would be possible without the fence. Believed to have been introduced into Australia by Aboriginal peoples between 4,600 and 18,300 years ago, the dingo's status as a native or introduced species in Australia has been a controversy. According to Mike Letnic of UNSW, the dingo, as Australia's top predator, has an important role in maintaining the balance of nature. Where dingoes had been excluded by the fence, Letnic found reduced biodiversity, with fewer native mammals. Although the fence has helped reduce the loss of sheep to predators, the exclusion of dingoes has allowed for increased pasture competition from rabbits, kangaroos and emus. Sheep are being lost to increasing numbers of feral dogs. Drone and satellite technology have illustrated how removing dingos changes vegetation growth.