There are at least 60,000 saltwater crocodiles in northern Australia

The Northern Territory government already allows limited hunting by landowners, and is now proposing to let tourists join in.

Saltwater crocodiles are protected in Australia, although their numbers have swollen to at least 60,000 in the wild.

Local officials argue tourist hunts could provide considerable revenue.

The Crocodile Specialist Group (CSG), a 350-member global organisation meeting this week in Darwin, northern Australia, said that Northern Territory's new plan as "a model of conservation in the real world".

The local government's wildlife department has for the last five years issued 600 permits a year to professional hunters, who kill the crocodiles for their meat and skin.

It is now proposing to set aside 25 of these permits for tourists, who would pay thousands of dollars for the adventure.

The government argues that the money would give impoverished local Aboriginal landowners a much-needed source of income.

Saltwater crocodiles can grow up to six metres (20 feet) in length, and are found in the brackish water around coastal areas, but also in freshwater rivers, swamps and billabongs.

Their diet includes insects, turtles, snakes and birds. Large adults occasionally eat larger prey like buffalo.