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The federal government will spend $8 million on long-term recovery and rehabilitation efforts in fragile alpine ecosystems, including efforts to limit the impact of hard-hooved animals after last summer’s bushfires. Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley said the money would help rehabilitation efforts for threatened species’ habitat across the ACT, NSW and Victoria. Feral animal and weed control would help protect the Northern and southern corroboree frog, she said. A September workshop which included traditional owners, landcare groups, scientists and government representatives identified bushfire recovery projects. “More than 570,000 hectares of habitat was burnt in the bushfires across the Australian Alpine region and since then, the land has struggled to regenerate because of feral animals like deer, pigs and horses,” Ms Ley said. “Feral animals, particularly heavy, hooved animals, pose great threats to our smaller native wildlife which are at constant risk of trampling or having their habitat destroyed by trampling. “The Australian Alps is unique in our dry, arid country and is recognised as being a world-centre of plant diversity, so it is important that we manage the impact that hard hooved animals have on the environment.” The alpine region is among seven areas earmarked for environmental recovery under the federal government’s regional bushfire recovery fund, which will provide $110 million in funding over two years. Management of wild brumbies in the alpine areas has been a long-running and fraught issue. A 2019 survey of feral horses in the Australian Alps found there were almost 25,000 brumbies in the Kosciuszko National Park. The survey found feral horse numbers had more than doubled since 2014 in the Australian Alps. Aerial and ground shooting, along with passive trapping have been approved in the ACT to prevent feral horses roaming across the border into the Namadgi National Park, which was significantly damaged in last summer’s fires. The future of wild horses, which have roamed in the area since the 1830s, has been contentious, with some sworn to protect the brumbies and those eager to protect the delicate ecosystems. READ MORE: The Victorian Supreme Court in June rejected a final attempt to prevent Parks Victoria from shooting brumbies in the Alpine National Park. The federal government’s funding boost comes as a report this week found wildlife groups needed to work more closely with governments and emergency services to respond to the needs of animals during and after bushfires. The Humane Society International report found local and state government emergency and fire management plans should include more detail to guide wildlife care. “These [plans] should be developed in conjunction with local wildlife organisations to foster a sense of shared ownership which is likely to produce more efficient and effective outcomes for all stakeholders,” the report recommended. The Humane Society International Australia’s head of programs and disaster response, Evan Quartermain, said the report also showed more support for volunteers’ mental well being was needed. “Governments have typically had non-interventionist approaches to wildlife rescue in emergency situations, but considering the immense levels of suffering we witnessed during the Black Summer and that anthropogenic climate change and land management practices are key drivers of fire frequency and severity, societal expectations around intervention have changed considerably,” Mr Quartermain said.
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The federal government will spend $8 million on long-term recovery and rehabilitation efforts in fragile alpine ecosystems, including efforts to limit the impact of hard-hooved animals after last summer’s bushfires.
Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley said the money would help rehabilitation efforts for threatened species’ habitat across the ACT, NSW and Victoria.
Feral animal and weed control would help protect the Northern and southern corroboree frog, she said.
A September workshop which included traditional owners, landcare groups, scientists and government representatives identified bushfire recovery projects.
“More than 570,000 hectares of habitat was burnt in the bushfires across the Australian Alpine region and since then, the land has struggled to regenerate because of feral animals like deer, pigs and horses,” Ms Ley said.
“Feral animals, particularly heavy, hooved animals, pose great threats to our smaller native wildlife which are at constant risk of trampling or having their habitat destroyed by trampling.
“The Australian Alps is unique in our dry, arid country and is recognised as being a world-centre of plant diversity, so it is important that we manage the impact that hard hooved animals have on the environment.”
The alpine region is among seven areas earmarked for environmental recovery under the federal government’s regional bushfire recovery fund, which will provide $110 million in funding over two years.
Management of wild brumbies in the alpine areas has been a long-running and fraught issue.
A 2019 survey of feral horses in the Australian Alps found there were almost 25,000 brumbies in the Kosciuszko National Park. The survey found feral horse numbers had more than doubled since 2014 in the Australian Alps.
Aerial and ground shooting, along with passive trapping have been approved in the ACT to prevent feral horses roaming across the border into the Namadgi National Park, which was significantly damaged in last summer’s fires.
The future of wild horses, which have roamed in the area since the 1830s, has been contentious, with some sworn to protect the brumbies and those eager to protect the delicate ecosystems.
The federal government’s funding boost comes as a report this week found wildlife groups needed to work more closely with governments and emergency services to respond to the needs of animals during and after bushfires.
The Humane Society International report found local and state government emergency and fire management plans should include more detail to guide wildlife care.
“These [plans] should be developed in conjunction with local wildlife organisations to foster a sense of shared ownership which is likely to produce more efficient and effective outcomes for all stakeholders,” the report recommended.
The Humane Society International Australia’s head of programs and disaster response, Evan Quartermain, said the report also showed more support for volunteers’ mental well being was needed.
“Governments have typically had non-interventionist approaches to wildlife rescue in emergency situations, but considering the immense levels of suffering we witnessed during the Black Summer and that anthropogenic climate change and land management practices are key drivers of fire frequency and severity, societal expectations around intervention have changed considerably,” Mr Quartermain said.
