Putting paid to pesky pests

Home 🞂 Newsroom 🞂 Putting paid to pesky pests

Pest animals are known to have a huge impact on biodiversity and agriculture all across Australia and, unfortunately, the Northern Agricultural Region does not escape unscathed.

But on the “plus” side of the ledger, the region is fortunate enough to have hundreds of enthusiastic local landholders who are prepared to do something about this insidious problem – many of whom recently participated in autumn control activities.

According to a recent Pest Animal Control CRC report, feral animals cost Australia in excess of $720 million per year. They cause catastrophic damage, and threaten our native animals and plants, our landscapes, agriculture, and other industries.

“Rabbits, foxes, feral cats, wild dogs and pigs were shown to inflict the greatest cost impact on our nation’s economy,” the report stated.

Impact from feral animals

In the case of feral rabbits, wild dogs and pigs, the major component of the impact comes from reduced agricultural production, principally in the sheep and cattle industries. While feral cats, feral goats and foxes were estimated to inflict large costs associated with predation of native fauna.

For feral cats, for example, Australia’s Environment Protection & Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999) and Threat Abatement Plan for Predation by Feral Cats (2015), estimated that feral cats ”are recognised as a potential threat to 74 mammal species … 40 birds, 21 reptiles and 4 amphibians.

Research by WA ecologist Tim Doherty revealed that feral cats prey on 400 wildlife species in Australia: 157 reptiles, 123 birds, 58 marsupials, 27 rodents, and 21 frogs.

Feral cat diet in Australia.
Feral cat diet in Australia. Graphic: Tim Doherty

 

Response to community concern

Given the heavy impact that cats and other pest animals impose on the landscape, agriculture and other related industries, there is increasing community concern and need for more coordinated and collaborative approaches to tackle the threats.

Responding to this need, and to community concerns, NACC recently supported five regional groups (West Midlands Group, Moora Miling Pasture Improvement Group, Mingenew Irwin Group, Perenjori Farming Forward, and Northampton Feral Eradication Group), to conduct a series of local Red Card for Rabbits and Foxes activities across the region.

Thanks to more than 200 enthusiastic landholders – who passionately spent a mostly sleepless night participating in a very successful event – good results were achieved through the coordinated feral animal control campaign across the region.

A total of 835 foxes, 1,210 rabbits, 50 feral cats and 43 feral pigs were tallied during the events, and removed from our precious farm- and land-scapes. (That’s 2,138 all up!)

The Red Card for Rabbits and the Foxes event held by MIG also helped to raise $1,165 for the Royal Flying Doctors cause through the donations made by the Stockbrands Company.

NACC Regional Landcare Facilitator Stanley Yokwe said these collaborative, community-driven events are a really effective way of controlling feral animals, and help get more people involved in the issue.

“They also provide an opportunity for people to connect, network and have fun together,” he said.

NACC expressed thanks to everyone who participated-in or supported the feral animals control activities, particularly key partners: West Midlands Group, Moora Miling Pasture Improvement Group, Mingenew Irwin Group, Perenjori Farming Forward, and Northampton Feral Eradication Group.

NACC also expresses its thanks to the local businesses that have made in-kind and cash contributions – including the Perenjori Hotel, Agri-Services Perenjori, Landmark Coorow, Coorow Football Club, the Coorow Family Shop, and Wade Parker and Flora Danielzik who made their shearing shed available and provided a drop-off point during the Coorow versus Perenjori Community Fox Shoot day.

These events are part of an on-going series of feral animal control activities being conducted in the region under NACC’s Regional Landcare Facilitator program. Funding is provided through the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme.

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In 2020-21 I talked about ‘raising the bar’. In 2021-22 we worked on setting the bar on fire. Over the last 12 months, the team at NACC NRM has not stopped.

The Sustainable Agriculture team has extended the program’s reach through collaborations with grower groups in the regions. Specifically, the Beyond Reasonable Drought project and Grower Group Alliance – South West WA Drought Innovation Hub – Geraldton Node project. The Beyond Reasonable Drought partnership with grower groups supported farmers across the region to improve the environmental sustainability of their agricultural production and drought resilience. The outcomes of this project have been consolidated through our successful Expression of Interest to the South West WA Drought Innovation Hub, with support from grower groups across the region, to host the Geraldton Node of the Hub. The program continues to focus on working with agricultural networks to share technical expertise and provide opportunities that will improve land management practices in agriculture across the region.

The conservation outcomes of ranger teams have expanded through work on several land tenures. Maintaining Heritage sites such as Willi Gulli, Racecourse Paddock and Buller River has long been a priority. During 2021-22, the teams have increasingly focused on threatened species and ecosystems.

To this end, Western Mulga rangers have improved management across 19,000 ha for the conservation of Malleefowl through firebreak and access management. They completed the maintenance of water holes and supported the monitoring of over 90 Malleefowl mounds.

Similarly, the Kwelena Mambakort Aboriginal Corporate ranger team have contributed positively to Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo populations by installing artificial hollows and habitat restoration.

All ranger teams have collected native seed, propagated native plants for restoration, and planted native vegetation in key locations across the NAR. Seed collection provides valuable industry experience and has facilitated the planting of over 100,000 seedlings during the year.   

In September 2021, the NACC NRM team delivered the WA Threatened Species Forum, held in tandem with the National Malleefowl Forum. Given the impact of COVID and the timing of this event, having more than 100 delegates from all over Australia was a significant achievement. The two Forums brought together 12 events over five days and featured 14 local artists, 25 businesses and 36 youth participants.

Following the successful relaunch of our updated NARvis, NACC NRM was invited to help lead a significant piece of strategic planning work for the region with Mid West Development Commission and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. With funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, the consortia delivered a Regional Drought Resilience Plan covering the shires of Northampton and Chapman Valley and the City of Greater Geraldton, along with significant technical analysis of drought vulnerability for the South West land division. The development of this plan also included extensive community consultation to ensure that local knowledge and technical advice guided the development of priorities for action.

This planning work links to existing NACC NRM on-ground projects, including Beyond Reasonable Drought and the Chapman Catchment Collaborative regeneration project.

It was a busy year for events with face-to-face events becoming commonplace again. During 2021-22 we hosted events in Gingin, Moora, Dalwallinu, Cervantes, Jurien Bay, Walkaway, Nabawa, Perenjori, Kalannie and Morawa. We supported events in Karakin, Thundellara, Perenjori, Paynes Find, Wubin, Cataby, Warradarge, Northampton, Yuna, Dalwallinu and Dandaragan.

We also supported on-ground works throughout the region, including at the following locations Yuna, Dalwallinu, Dandaragan, Merkanooka, Goodlands, Kalannie, Bunjil, Yardarino, Canna, Kondut, Latham, Kadathinni, Nabawa, Red Gully, Sandy Gully, Waddy Forrest, Devils Creek, Perenjori, Bowgada, Ellendale, Wandana, Namban, Hill River, Warradarge, Gillingarra, Regans Ford and Moonyanooka.

Our region is vast – slightly larger than Tasmania, which for comparison, is serviced by three separate NRM organisations. Covering the NAR region and its many environmental threats is challenging. We continue to focus on partnerships and collaboration to address this challenge. We know that by working with our community through passionate delivery of collaborative on-ground projects and education, the community will value and actively protect our region’s natural capital.

This year we have launched a new Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The RAP Working Group consulted widely and developed an Innovate RAP which Reconciliation Australia approved in March 2022. The activities to fulfil these commitments are now in full swing.

Sadly, at the end of 2021, we farewelled former NACC NRM CEO Shelley Spriggs, who lost a long battle with cancer. Shelley was an inaugural inductee to the NRM Leadership Honour Roll. I will always be grateful for her guidance and no-nonsense approach, not to mention her passion for life.

While we have said farewell to some, we have welcomed many new faces across all programs, including our Administration team. We have also hosted a school-based trainee from Nagle Catholic College who has been working towards a Certificate II in Conservation and Ecosystem Management. This trial position has been very successful, and we look forward to making this opportunity available again in 2023.

During 2022 we have taken on new projects that align with our organisational and program objectives, and we have successfully completed some great initiatives that support continued conservation and sustainability outcomes. I want to thank the whole team who continue to go above and beyond for the organisation and each other proving their ongoing commitment to our purpose and our values.