Aboriginal rangers' perspectives on feral pigs: are they a pest or a resource? A case study in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area of Northern Queensland

Abstract

Feral pigs (Sus scrofa) are a major vertebrate pest in Australia and have been commonly referred to as an environmental and agricultural pest. However, perceptions about pigs and their impacts may vary from person to person, particularly Aboriginal Australians, who have different cultural backgrounds and worldviews. Such variation in perceptions makes the pest status of pigs ambiguous. This paper illustrates Aboriginal rangers' perceptions of feral pigs and their impacts in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area of North Queensland, Australia. There were differences in the values of feral pigs among Aboriginal communities, depending on the socio-economic context. Different values attached to feral pigs pose a management challenge of how to treat pigs: as a resource or a pest.