Kangaroo Meat Could Help Australia Cut Gas Emissions

The impact would be strongest if livestock owners were required to purchase carbon permits to keep raising cattle and sheep, although such a scheme is far from being determined.

"If we let the kangaroo population rise to 175 million by 2020, farmers could be earning the same amount of money as they would be from cattle without that charge," he said.

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"Completely Different Farming"

Peter Ampt, of the University of New South Wales, said Wilson's proposal "would require a completely different farming model."

Ampt, who is not involved with the study but is aligned with the cause, said: "Kangaroos are highly mobile and they don't herd very easily, so if you tried to apply a conventional farming model to kangaroos, there are a few obstacles."

The proposal would require farmers to "manage" kangaroos under a quota system as a wild resource, he said.

"It's a good model for conservation on private land," he added, because kangaroos would become valued instead of being regarded as pests.

"It costs an awful lot to run sheep and cattle on rangelands," he added. "You've got to maintain fences, stock water, you've got to bring them all in regularly and drench and vaccinate them. You don't have to do any of that with kangaroos."

Ampt also said conventional grazing has been "responsible for the loss a whole raft of small animals—bilbies and betongs and all those little creatures, which were incredibly important ecosystem engineers."

But How's It Taste?

The Australian government says kangaroo meat is increasingly popular.

Already available in Australian supermarkets, the meat could also be at grocer near you. The industry estimates that it exports to more than 55 countries and is looking for growth in the U.S. and Asian markets.

Ampt said the meat is "not unlike venison."

According to a government fact sheet, the meat's "growing appeal stems from its well-flavoured, slightly gamey taste."

Industry groups have posted free recipes online, and Ampt offered a little advice of his own.

"The way to cook it on a barbie," Ampt said, referring to a barbeque grill, "is you roll it in some olive oil with a bit of garlic and a few herbs, and then you sear it on the barbie lightly, then let it sit for a while. It's really delicious."

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