The South Coast is home to several threatened species including the brush-tailed rock wallaby and the spotted-tailed quoll. These and other native species are susceptible to predation and competition from invasive pests like foxes.
South East Local Land Services’ Feral Fighters fox control program is helping to protect these threatened species in key habitats on the South Coast.
Biosecurity Officer Evelyn Osborne coordinates the local community Feral Fighters groups.
“We have a network of Feral Fighters groups across the local area. People’s motivations for joining vary, but many people I speak to are really concerned about protecting native wildlife”.
The Feral Fighters campaigns act to create buffer zones on private land around ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Parks, where intensive fox control programs are already in place, to protect these threatened native species.
“It is really important that we work together to reduce fox populations on both private and public land.
“The space this provides for natives can be the difference between a healthy population and a struggling one”.
The Feral Fighters fox control campaigns complement the work being done by the NSW Government’s Saving our Species program.
Saving our Species camera trap monitoring in the Barren Grounds Nature Reserve and Budderoo ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Park since 2016 has revealed a very healthy resident spotted-tailed quoll population.
Over 50 individual quolls were observed in the last 12 months, showing that the population is continuing to increase from previous years.
“Foxes compete with quolls for their favourite prey like bandicoots, possums, gliders, native rats and antechinus species” said James Dawson, Senior Team Leader, Ecosystem and Threatened Species Officer with the Saving our Species program.
“Without a coordinated effort by all land managers, high densities of foxes could have a detrimental impact on this local quoll population and other threatened species.
“Feral Fighters is the perfect opportunity for neighbouring land managers to contribute to saving our local population of spotted-tailed quolls by managing foxes.”
³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Threatened Species Day
Saturday 7 September is ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Threatened Species Day. The day raises awareness of plants and animals at risk of extinction and celebrate the work being done by passionate conservations, researchers, volunteers and community experts.
