Elephants could battle pests in Australia

Unleashing wild elephants into Australia's outback could be one way of fighting invasive pests and reducing fire hazards, an Australian scientist says.

Some of his contemporaries are not convinced, however, saying the only result might be a jumbo-sized environmental headache.

In an article for the journal Nature, David Bowman paints a vision of the enormous mammals roaming through Australia's savannas chomping down on gamba grass - an African pest.

Professor Bowman, an environmental change biologist at the University of Tasmania, says all options need to be honestly considered to manage Australia's changing environment.

He suggests problems with fire and feral animals could be managed by introducing elephants, rhinoceroses and Komodo dragons.

With around five per cent of the continent being burnt in bushfires last year, the introduction of large animals could help reduce the amount of the flammable gamba grass that is widespread in northern areas, Prof Bowman says.

"It is too big for marsupial grazers (kangaroos) and for cattle and buffalo," he writes.

"But gamba grass is a great meal for elephants or rhinoceroses.

"The idea of introducing elephants may seem absurd, but the only other methods likely to control gamba grass involve using chemicals or physically clearing the land, which would destroy the habitat."

Prof Bowman argues that the government should stop spending millions on "piecemeal" programs that inevitably fail.

Instead, he said, a "holistic approach" needed to be taken to manage predators, control feral animals and get herbivores to eat the flammable grasses that turn the continent into a tinderbox.

"Using mega-herbivores may ultimately be more practical and cost-effective, and it would help to conserve animals that are threatened by poaching in their native environments."

He said it would be essential to proceed cautiously but argued that the usual approaches weren't working.

"The full spectrum of options needs to be canvassed in an open and honest way."

Dr Rickey Spencer, from the University of Western Sydney, said Prof Bowman's comments raised important issues but were "careless".

"If we did go down that road of introducing elephants to Australia, we had better develop the technology to clone the sabre-tooth tigers to eventually control the elephants," he said in a statement.

Meanwhile Don Driscoll, a fellow at the Australian National University, said he did not think introducing elephants was viable but it was important to consider all options.

"Invasive species have wiped out much of Australia's natural heritage ... and international trade combined with pressures to increase agricultural productivity worsen the problem," Dr Driscoll said in a statement.