Invasive and overabundant native vertebrates cause significant economic and environmental damage in the Australian rangelands. Access to artificial watering points, created for the pastoral industry, has been a major factor in the spread and survival of these pests. Existing methods of controlling watering points are mechanical and cannot discriminate between target and non target species. Therefore, we developed an intelligent system of controlling vertebrate access to watering points. The project combined an intelligent camera, using machine vision technology, with enclosure design to successfully classify animals on a small scale. Future work will involve field trials of all large vertebrate species living on the Australian rangelands. The system has application in any habitat throughout the world where a resource is limited and can be enclosed for the management of livestock or wildlife.
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