Regardless, many scientists agree the management of key environmental crises facing large parts of the continent – bushfires and rapidly increasing numbers of feral plants and animals – needs to be rethought.

In his comment piece, published in the journal Nature, Professor Bowman suggests elephants could keep gamba grass, an introduced species invading northern Australia's savannahs, to manageable levels, a solution that would not only reduce the grass but cut a big fuel source often burnt in wildfires.

"It would be essential to proceed cautiously, with well-designed studies to monitor the effects," Professor Bowman said.

He also suggested land managers return to traditional patch burning to reduce out-of-control fires, a program already being trialled in the central Kimberley, and to use Aboriginal hunters to curb feral animal numbers.

An Australian Laureate Fellow with the school of plant biology at The University of Western Australia, Richard Hobbs, agreed that new and varied approaches to tackle Australia's ecological management problems were needed but it was highly likely elephants would become a pest.