Mosaic Map: NRM funded projects
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Pest management in the Cape
Magpie Geese at Rutland Plains Station on western Cape York have started nesting again thanks to a reduction in feral pig numbers.
This is a telling sign of the impact of feral animals on the environment. With pig numbers cut down, marine plains have been able to recover, free from the impact of continual digging.
This success story is a result of a concentrated aerial pig shoot and consistent follow-up baiting efforts by a landholder who was also happy with benefits for stock.
It's the kind of result the Cape York Weeds and Feral Animals Program (CYWAFAP) is looking for across the Cape.
Funding
With more than $1 million in funding from the Australian Government, CYWAFP operates over a sparsely populated region roughly the size of Victoria.
Support is also provided by the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water, Cook Shire Council and a Queensland Government initiative targeting natural resource management on Indigenous lands.
Activities
As well as helping landholders and regional communities deal with pests, the program supports the development of property and community pest management plans and provides training and advice. There is also an extensive weed mapping database, and a machinery wash-down facility at Lakeland is also on the agenda.
"We've reached our goal of having pest management plans for all local government and Indigenous community areas on Cape York and we're working on a Cape-wide plan in consultation with people across the region," said CYWAFAP manager Cathy Waldron.
"Through this process 29 pest plants and 10 pest animals have been identified for action."
Among the animals are pigs, feral cattle and cats, while plants include hymenachne, pond apple, sicklepod, common sensitive plant and bauhinia.
"Although we have quite a big list of plants, some are in very restricted areas so we think we can eradicate plants like bellyache bush and cat's claw creeper," Cathy said.
Cape York's inaccessibility presents some special challenges for pest control, and creative and often expensive measures are needed. Aerial shooting is used for some animal pests and quad bikes are being helicoptered in to help in the fight against weeds like sicklepod.
More information
- Trent Cini, Project Officer Cape York Weeds & Feral Animals Program (07) 4069 5020
- CYWAFAP
See also
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