Humans are the most invasive of vertebrates and they have taken many plants and animals with them to colonise new environments. This has been particularly so in Australasia, where Laurasian and domesticated taxa have collided with ancient Gondwanan ecosystems isolated since the Eocene Epoch. Many plants and animals that humans introduced benefited from their pre-adaptation to their new environments and some became invasive, damaging the biodiversity and agricultural value of the invaded ecosystems. The invasion of non-native organisms is accelerating with human population growth and globalisation. Expansion of trade has seen increases in purposeful and accidental introductions, and their negative impacts are regarded as second only to activities associated with human population growth. Here, the theoretical processes, economic and environmental costs of invasive alien species (i.e. weeds and vertebrate pests) are outlined. However, defining the problem is only one side of the coin. We review some theoretical underpinnings of invasive species science and management, and discuss hypotheses to explain successful biological invasions. We consider desired restoration states and outline a practical working framework for managing invasive plants and animals to restore, regenerate and revegetate invaded Australasian ecosystems.

Context. Improving the welfare outcomes for captured animals is critically important and should underpin 'best-practice' trapping. Most Australian States and Territories have regulations and guidelines that form a legal framework for the maximum number of hours an animal can be restrained in a trap. Because servicing all traps within preferred time frames (less than 24 h) can be logistically difficult or is considered undesirable for efficacy reasons, some jurisdictions have adopted relatively long trap-checking intervals (up to 72 h).

Aims. We developed and tested the signal transmission and alert efficacy of a foot hold-trap alert system, based on Celium technology, so as to advise trappers of the activation of individual foot-hold traps, even in remote locations.

Methods. We refined the Celium trap-alert system and designed a below-ground wireless node that transmits a message via satellite or by using the cellular system when a foot-hold trap is sprung. We tested signal transmission and alert efficacy in three locations, with a focus in Australia.

Key results. Transmission of signals from nodes to hubs and to a smart-phone application were used to resolve interference problems and to identify signal limitations and strengths. During the capture of 34 dingoes, 91% of captures resulted in an alert being received. False negatives were attributed to technical issues with nearby transmitters swamping signals, and software problems that have since been resolved. In 40 captures of dogs and foxes, only one trap-alert transmitter (mole) was uncovered by a target animal and no devices were damaged by animals post-capture.

Conclusions. This cable-less trap-alert system successfully uses both cellular and satellite networks to transmit messages from desert and coastal locations to trappers, in Australia. We confirmed that this trap-alert system is not detected by target predators in the areas tested and can be effectively used to alert trappers when traps have been sprung.

Implications. This trap-alert system provides a tool to improve welfare outcomes for trapped target and non-target animals through Australia and New Zealand and wherever trapping occurs. It, furthermore, provides a solution to checking traps daily when the distance to and between traps cannot be covered within an appropriate time frame. Although trap alerts can never replace the value of daily trap checking by the trapper, they provide a solution to a management problem, namely, one of accessibility to sites.

The 'Compassionate Conservation' movement is gaining momentum through its promotion of 'ethical' conservation practices based on self-proclaimed principles of 'first-do-no-harm' and 'individuals matter'. We argue that the tenets of 'Compassionate Conservation' are ideological - that is, they are not scientifically proven to improve conservation outcomes, yet are critical of the current methods that do. In this paper we envision a future with 'Compassionate Conservation' and predict how this might affect global biodiversity conservation. Taken literally, 'Compassionate Conservation' will deny current conservation practices such as captive breeding, introduced species control, biocontrol, conservation fencing, translocation, contraception, disease control and genetic introgression. Five mainstream conservation practices are used to illustrate the far-reaching and dire consequences for global biodiversity if governed by 'Compassionate Conservation'. We acknowledge the important role of animal welfare science in conservation practices but argue that 'Compassionate Conservation' aligns more closely with animal liberation principles protecting individuals over populations. Ultimately we fear that a world of 'Compassionate Conservation' could stymie the global conservation efforts required to meet international biodiversity targets derived from evidenced based practice, such as the Aichi targets developed by the Convention on Biological Diversity and adopted by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the United Nations.

Feral horses, also known as brumbies, are widely distributed across Australia with some populations being managed largely by human intervention. Rehoming of suitable feral horses following passive trapping has wide community acceptance as a management tool. However, there is little information about the number and relative economic value of feral horses compared with cohorts in the riding horse market. We examined 15,404 advertisements of horses for sale in 53 editions of Horse Deals, published from February 2017 to July 2022. Despite the considerable media attention and public scrutiny surrounding feral horse management, rehomed feral horses represented only a tiny fraction of the horse market in the current study. Of the 15,404 advertisements examined, only 128 (0.0083%) were for feral horses. We recorded phrases used to describe behavioural characteristics and other variables. The following variables were found to be not independent: Ridden Status, Height, Age, Sex, Colour, and Warning terms/more work. Using descriptive statistics to describe basic features of the data, the average price for feral horses ($1408) was lower than that for domestic horses ($1790) with the maximum price for a domestic horse being nearly twice the maximum for a feral horse. Univariate analysis showed feral horses were over-represented among “Unbroken” horses and underrepresented among “Ridden”, “Broodmare” and “Harness” horses compared with domestic bred horses (p< 0.001). Feral horses appeared over-represented at shorter heights, among younger age groups (3 years or younger and 3.1 to 6 years) (p< 0.001) and in the dilute colour category (p= 0.008). The multivariable mixed model on price revealed that for domestic horses, the highest estimated marginal mean price averaged across the colour categories was for ridden horses aged 6.1–10-year-old at $1657.04 (95% CI $1320.56–$2074.66). In contrast, for feral horses, the multivariable mixed model demonstrated the similar highest estimated marginal mean averaged was for green broken 3–6-year-old horses that have undergone foundation training under saddle at $2526.97 (95% CI $1505.63–$4208.27). Australian feral horses were valued differently from similar domestic horses in the recreational riding horse market and further research is warranted to determine appropriate target markets and boost the sustainability of rehoming as a feral horse management tool.