The big picture: a quick overview
Apex predators like dingoes, quolls, and wedge-tailed eagles are crucial to maintaining balance in Australia’s unique ecosystems. Around the world, apex predators are recognised as key drivers of biodiversity. From wolves in Yellowstone to pumas in South America, reintroducing top predators has led to powerful ecological benefits. Yet in Australia, our apex species face threats from habitat loss, invasive species, and persecution. It’s time to better understand their role and act to preserve or restore their populations for a healthier environment.
What is an apex predator and why do they matter?
Apex predators sit at the top of the food chain and have few or no natural predators. Their presence helps regulate prey populations and maintain the structure of ecological communities. When apex predators are removed, ecosystems can spiral into imbalance, a phenomenon known as a “trophic cascade” ¹.
In Yellowstone National Park, the reintroduction of grey wolves in the 1990s curbed overgrazing elk, allowing vegetation to regenerate, which in turn improved conditions for birds, beavers, and fish. Similar outcomes have been seen in parts of South America with the return of pumas, which have curbed populations of smaller predators and herbivores².
Australia’s apex predators: the overlooked guardians
Australia’s apex predators play a similarly vital role. The dingo (Canis dingo), often misunderstood and maligned, is one of the most ecologically significant. Research shows dingoes help control populations of invasive species like foxes and feral cats, which are major threats to native wildlife³.
Northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus), while smaller, are top predators in certain ecosystems and contribute to controlling insect and rodent populations. Studies highlight their crucial role in maintaining balance by preying on a variety of smaller species, thereby shaping ecological interactions⁴.
Wedge-tailed eagles (Aquila audax), Australia’s largest bird of prey, play a unique aerial role, scavenging and hunting over vast areas. They are essential in nutrient cycling and controlling mesopredators. A mesopredator is a mid-ranking predator in a food web, often kept in check by apex predators. When apex predators are removed, mesopredators can increase in number and negatively impact prey populations. For example, wedge-tailed eagles have been recorded preying on mesopredators such as feral cats and foxes, which pose a serious threat to native fauna⁵.
Lessons from global success stories
Scientific studies from North America and South America clearly demonstrate that restoring apex predators can rewild degraded landscapes. In Yellowstone, wolves changed the behaviour of elk, reducing grazing pressure along riverbanks and enabling forest regrowth⁶.
In Argentina and Chile, the return of pumas has helped balance prey numbers and reduce overgrazing, which benefits plant diversity and soil health².
These stories underscore a universal truth: ecosystems are more resilient and biodiverse when top predators are present.
A call for Australian action
Despite international recognition of apex predators’ value, Australia continues to underappreciate and sometimes actively suppress its own. Dingoes are still widely culled, quolls struggle against invasive threats, and wedge-tailed eagles are vulnerable to poisoning and land clearing.
We must shift our policies and public perception. Conservation efforts should focus not just on endangered species but on restoring ecological roles. This includes trialling predator-friendly land management, supporting First Nations led conservation, and conducting further research into the cascading effects of predator loss.
Understanding and protecting our apex species
Apex predators are not just killers—they are custodians of ecosystem balance. Their survival ensures the health of countless other species and ecological processes. It is time Australia recognised their value not only in scientific terms but as a national conservation priority.
We need to understand the role of apex predators in Australia and look into strategies to protect, or increase numbers for a balanced ecosystem.
Read about our Deddick Valley project, which has habitat for dingoes, quolls and wedge-tailed eagles. It is also adjacent to the site of mass wedge-tailed eagle culls in East Gippsland in the 2010s.
References:
¹ Estes, JA, Terborgh, J, Brashares, JS, Power, ME, Berger, J, Bond, WJ et al. 2011, Trophic downgrading of planet Earth, Science, vol. 333, no. 6040, pp. 301–306,
² Elbroch, LM, Feltner, J & Quigley, H 2017, Stage-dependent puma predation on ungulates: implications for the study of trophic cascades, Biological Conservation, vol. 210, pp. 91–99,
³ Letnic, M, Ritchie, EG & Dickman, CR 2009, Top predators as biodiversity regulators: the dingo Canis lupus dingo as a case study, Biological Reviews, vol. 84, no. 1, pp. 39–50,
⁴ Oakwood, M 2000, Reproduction and demography of the northern quoll, Dasyurus hallucatus, in the lowland savanna of northern Australia, Wildlife Research, vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 385–396,
⁵ Department for Environment and Water SA 2022, Wedge-tailed eagle fact sheet, Government of South Australia, viewed 19 June 2025, https:
⁶ Ripple, WJ & Beschta, RL 2012, Trophic cascades in Yellowstone: The first 15 years after wolf reintroduction, Biological Conservation, vol. 145, no. 1, pp. 205–213,
Healthy forests