Many people believe their numbers need to be controlled through culling given their population explosion since full protection was given in 1971 after they were almost hunted almost to extinction.

There are estimated to be more than 100,000 crocodiles in the wild in the Northern Territory.

A team from Charles Darwin University will investigate the recovery of the northern Australian estuarine crocodile population on river ecosystems.

CDU has been awarded a Discovery grant in the latest round of Australian Research Council funding.

Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods Professor Hamish Campbell said the $390,000 grant would allow his team to assess the ecological changes that have arisen due to the repatriation of estuarine crocodiles across northern Australia.

"The Northern Territory crocodile population has recovered substantially since protection in the 1970s," Professor Campbell said.

"While the recovery is heralded as a conservation success, estuarine crocodiles pose a serious threat to humans and livelihoods."

Katherine's Mayor Fay Miller has long said their numbers need to be controlled for people's safety.

The Government has launched a separate study on whether croc safety warnings are losing their impact.

The government's stated strategy is to "ensure the long-term conservation of the saltwater crocodile and its habitat in the Territory while also keeping the public safe".

Prof. Campbell said the project in collaboration with Griffith University, the Australian Institute for Marine Science, the NT Government and Larrakia rangers would help to better understand the ecological role of estuarine crocodiles and the benefits of conserving them.

"We know crocodiles have significant economic and cultural value, but we don't know what impact their recovery is having upon the Territory's unique wetland ecosystems," Professor Campbell said.

"I have heard from fisherman that the barramundi fishing has improved with crocodile recovery, which suggests broad-scale ecological impacts.

"But these are only anecdotal reports, and this project will help us to understand if and why this is happening.

"There is also a growing body of evidence that shows retaining or restoring large carnivores into ecosystems will counter environmental challenges such as biological invasions, disease, and climate change."

RIEL co-researcher Dr Keller Kopf said the three-year project aimed to estimate the amount of food and types of prey required to support populations of estuarine crocodiles in river systems across the Territory.

"We'll use bioenergetics modelling and field sampling of these predators and prey, including fish and other animals, to improve our understanding of how estuarine crocodiles influence food webs," Dr Kopf said.

"The restoration of crocodiles provides a rare opportunity, similar to wolves in North America, to empirically test changes in ecosystem processes under varying degrees of large carnivore recovery.

"This is a unique opportunity because it will improve our understanding of the processes that govern the strength of predator-ecosystem interactions."

The Discovery Projects scheme aims to expand the knowledge base and research capacity in Australia and support research that will provide economic, commercial, environmental, social and/or cultural benefits for Australia.

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