20 September 2004

Title:      After the buffalo: River dynamics in Kakadu National Park
Who:     Aaron Petty, visiting academic from University of California, Davis
When:   From 12 Noon to 1pm on Wednesday 22 September
Where:  Building 22, Room One, Casuarina Campus, Charles Darwin University

The fragility of Kakadu’s extensive water system and its ability to repair itself from extensive damage is the focus of the next free seminar from the Key Centre for Tropical Wildlife Management at Charles Darwin University.

Aaron Petty, a PhD student at the University of California, Davis will present the seminar. Mr Petty has spent the past two years as a visiting academic at the Key Centre completing fieldwork looking at the historical ecology of river and tidal systems in Kakadu National Park.

“On the South Alligator River, the freshwater and tidal systems form distinct but separate channels,” Mr Petty explained.

“They meet in the tidal interface region, an area of approximately 200 square kilometres located 60 to 75 kms inland, which includes the popular tourist destination of Yellow Waters.”

“Within this interface region there is no single channel carrying freshwater seaward or tidal water inland, but rather a series of billabongs, floodplains and tidal channels capped by tidal muds which separate the freshwater and tidal systems.

“Analysis of photographs from the past 50 years demonstrate the dynamic nature of this system, as well as its susceptibility to collapse under extreme disturbance events, particularly the impact of high buffalo populations.

“However, we also show that this system is capable of self-repair, and that the removal of buffalo has lead to the re-establishment of freshwater/tidal interactions that are similar to pre-buffalo conditions,” Mr Petty said.

A map of the Casuarina campus can be accessed at www.cdu.edu.au/campusmaps

Contact: Aaron Petty on either 08 8979 2415 or 08 8946 6502