Professor Peter Fleming
Senior principal research scientist, NSW Department of Primary Industries
See Professor Fleming’s full research profile here.
Research outputs linked to policy change and decision-making
- The ‘cross-tenure’ or ‘tenure-blind’ approach to managing invasive animals is the most paradigm-changing innovation in pest animal management introduced in the past 20 years. The approach enshrines the principle that invasive species do not recognise tenure boundaries nor differentiate agricultural and environmental values, and that for management to be effective, all private and public stakeholders must be involved in decision-making. This approach was devised during Professor Fleming’s south-east NSW and ACT wild dog management project. It is now national and state policy, advocated in the national wild dog management action plan and the 2016 NSW Natural resources Commission review of pest animals. It is a foundational principle in the NSW biosecurity strategy 2013–2021, NSW invasive species plan 2018–2021, the NSW wild dog management strategy, 11 NSW Local Land Services regional plans and countless local predator management plans across Australia.
- Professor Fleming devised the national wild dog management facilitator and the north-east NSW predator management demonstration site projects in the first Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre (2005–2012) – he led the latter and oversaw the former. For those projects, Professor Fleming instituted stakeholder steering and advisory groups. The national wild dog management advisory group (NWDMAG) comprised industry, government and research representatives, which oversaw the facilitator project and ensured relevance on-ground. Out of NWDMAG emerged the national wild dog action plan, which has been adopted by Australian Government Environment and Invasives Committee and all states. The action plan and the national facilitator positions were the templates for the national feral pig action plan and national feral pig coordinator begun this year.
- As wild dog theme leader in the second Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre (2012–2017), Professor Fleming led the predators, prey, plants and people project that, through research, changed the policy on aerial baiting on public lands in NSW and led to the introduction of effective aerial predator control in South Australia.
Current academic employment and positions
- 2013–present: senior principal research scientist/research leader, predator and prey management, NSW Department of Primary Industries
- 2017–present: adjunct professor, ecosystem management, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England
- 2018–present: adjunct professor, Institute for Life Sciences and the Environment, University of Southern Queensland.
Highest qualification
- 2005: PhD, University of Canberra.
Major prizes, medals and honours
- 2019: Fellow of the Royal Zoological Society of NSW.
Roles on government or regional organisation committees
Prior to 2019, Prof essorFleming was member of 29 research, vocational education and training, and advisory committees to public and private landholders, government and industry groups, including but not exclusively:
- 7/11 NSW Local Lands Services
- Australian Wool Innovation and Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) predator research priorities
- NSW Farmers, national wild dog action plan consultation committee and writing group
- South Australian Arid Lands Board dingoes and cattle project research and writing committee
- Western Australia Royalties for Regions wild dog management project
- NSW National Parks and Wildlife (NPWS) Saving our Species research strategies to conserve spotted-tailed quolls and brush-tailed rock-wallabies
- NSW NPWS fox threat abatement plan and strategy to address the key threatening process of cats
- The University of Queensland’s Singapore free-ranging dog management project
- MLA Rangeland goat market supply forecasting project
- NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment’s 2019 biodiversity indicator program review
- NSW Minister’s strategic invasive species alliance
- Queensland Ministerial wild dog management committee – QDog
- Victorian wild dog management ministerial advisory committee.
Links with non-government groups or networks
- Professor Fleming has strong links with stakeholder groups across NSW and Australia through the network of wild dog management coordinators under the national facilitator, and through his national predator DNA project.
My Projects
Current project
Completed project
NESP RLH, 2021-2027NESP, 2015-2021NERP, 2012-2015TRaCK, 2005-present
