Fire, Foxes, and Feral Cats.
Per Christensen
ISBN 978-0-85905-927-5, (New, 2022), A4, 123 pages, illustrations in colour, 510 grams, $40.00
Have you ever wondered why many of our unique fauna have disappeared from Australia in the short time since European colonization? Over the years many theories have been advanced to try to explain this but most ecologists have come now to believe the introduced European Red fox and wild domestic cat, together with changed fire regimes to be the principal causes.
Ecologist Per Christensen was the first scientist to demonstrate this and he was the first to try to develop large scale fauna management techniques using fire and broad scale predator control to carry out re-introduction experiments.
An migrant from Kenya with a background in forestry and a university degree in botany and zoology, Per worked as a research officer in the magnificent southern forests of Western Australia. When green politics and political whim resulted in the amalgamation of forestry, wildlife and National Parks into a new department of Conservation and Land Management Per's work expanded to the arid country.
A serious but at times light hearted account full of interesting characters and amusing situations in which science frequently has to negotiate green politics, political whim, and public opinion. A story of triumphs and failures.