Research projects and publications | Centre for Ecosystem Science

Research and Publications

The Myall Lakes Dingo/Dapin project is a scientific research project focused on informing evidence-based management. It aims to further our understanding of dingo social ecology and the impact(s) of dingoes on humans and other species in the ecosystem, and vice versa.

MLDP research projects tend to focus on aspects of dingo ecology or the impacts of dingoes that may be applied to wildlife management. This includes the development and testing of potential coexistence tools and strategies.

As dingo social ecology has arguably been overlooked in the literature to date, another major aim of the MLDP is to deepen our collective understanding of dingo social behaviour and ecology, which we tackle by following the fates and fortunes of individual dingoes in several known packs over the long-term.

Graduate student research projects form the bulk of the research outputs to date, and a list of research publications can be found below.

Student theses:

- Wood, P. (2025). Coexistence is relationships: Rethinking how conservation research studies human-wildlife relation. PhD thesis, UNSW Canberra. - Alting, B. F. (2025). Ecology and interactions of dingoes in a human-modified landscape. PhD thesis, UNSW Sydney.

- Gamage, D. (2024). Ultrasonic playbacks deter wild dingoes: implications for threatened species conservation. Honours thesis, UNSW Sydney.

- Cheung, J. (2024). Characterising dingo and fox diets using DNA metabarcoding within the Myall Lakes region. Honours thesis, UNSW Sydney.

Research papers and book chapters:

- Alting, B. F., Pitcher, B. J., Campbell‐Ward, M. L., & Jordan, N. R. (2025). Estimating canid territories and pack compositions: Camera traps provide comparable metrics to an intense radio‐collaring programme on dingoes. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 6(4), e70129. https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.70129

- Alting, B. F., Pitcher, B. J., & Jordan, N. R. (2025). Dingo visitation patterns and behaviour at long-term scent-marking sites suggests a role in mate competition. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 79(10), 92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-025-03633-0

- Alting, B. F., Pitcher, B. J., Campbell-Ward, M., & Jordan, N. R. (2025). Dingo movement depends on sex, social status and litter size. Royal Society Open Science, 12(7), 250255.https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.250255

- Bruce, T., Amir, Z., Allen, B. L., Alting, B. F., Amos, M., Augusteyn, J., Ballard, G. A., Behrendorff, L. M., Bell, K., & Bengsen, A. J. et al. (2025). Large‐scale and long‐term wildlife research and monitoring using camera traps: a continental synthesis. Biological Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13152

- Mifsud, J. C., Harvey, E., Van Brussel, K., Olsson, A., Pitcher, B. J., Hall, J., Fenton, H., Alting, B. F., Sadiq, S., & Holmes, E. C. (2025). Diverse viral pathogens in Australian canines: limited geographic structure and the first detection of an RNA virus in dingoes. Virus Evolution, 11(1), veaf042. https://doi.org/10.1093/ve/veaf042

- Alting, B. F., Pitcher, B. J., Rees, M. W., Ferrer-Paris, J.R. & Jordan, N. R. (2024). Population density and ranging behaviour of a generalist carnivore varies with human population. Ecology and Evolution https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11404

- Walker, B. J., Letnic, M., Bucknall, M. P., Watson, L., & Jordan, N. R. (2024). Male dingo urinary scents code for age class and wild dingoes respond to this information. Chemical Senses https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjae004

- Jordan, N. R., Campbell-Ward, M., Vandersteen, J., Colman, N., Alting, B., Gamage, D., Cairns, K.M., Bell, M., Altuna, J. & Pitcher, B. J. (2023). Inferring interspecific killing of Red Fox by Dingo from wounds and inter-canine distance measures–and a call for more data. Australian Zoologist, 43(2), 276-280. https://doi.org/10.7882/AZ.2023.030

- Gorta, S. B., Alting, B., Claridge, A., & Henderson, T. (2021). Apparent piebald variants in quolls (Dasyurus): examples of three recent cases in the spotted-tailed quoll Dasyurus maculatus. Australian Mammalogy, 43(3), 373-377. https://doi.org/10.1071/AM20058

Other reports and outputs:

Credit: Alex Dibnah. A dingo in a campground.

Myall Lakes Dingo/Dapin Team

The MLDP research team is made up of several UNSW PhD and Honours students working under the supervision of Dr Neil Jordan and Dr Benjamin Pitcher, and alongside partners on the ground to deliver research relevant to management.

Working with Dingoes/Dapin on Worimi Country

The Myall Lakes Dingo/Dapin Project is privileged to work on Worimi Country, and to do so directly with Worimi people towards a deeper understanding and respect for the dingo and its place on Country. We pay our respects to Indigenous Elders past and present, and celebrate their ongoing connections with dingoes and the wider landscape.