News location:

Canberra Today 14°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Namadgi’s feral pigs on decline

FERAL pig numbers  in Namadgi National Park are on the decline according to the latest monitoring results from the Parks and Conservation Service.

“The latest data reveals that 9.6 per cent of test plots set up in Namadgi showed some evidence of feral pig activity, down from 17.65 per cent in 2008. These results demonstrate a significant and sustained reduction in both pig numbers and impact,” rural district manager of Parks and Conservation Service Brett McNamara said.

“Feral pig activity is monitored using 500 plots across Namadgi. The plots measure the amount of impact damage caused by pigs and gives an estimate of the population.

“This long term monitoring and evaluation program, which has been running since the mid-1980s, is essential to Namadgi’s evidence based management of introduced pests. Eradication is not feasible or possible, so control programs aim to achieve a sustained reduction in the damage caused by feral pigs.

“Feral pigs cause significant damage by ‘rooting’ or ‘ripping’ up areas of vegetation as they feed. Damaged areas are generally slow to recover allowing the invasion of weeds into sensitive locations, including the habitat of the northern corroboree frogs and broad toothed rats.”

Namadgi National Park undertakes an annual pig control poisoning program which involves more than 16 rangers as well as field officers.

Namadgi National Park is Canberra’s significant water catchment area and covers 106,000 hectares of the ACT.

Who can be trusted?

In a world of spin and confusion, there’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in Canberra.

If you trust our work online and want to enforce the power of independent voices, I invite you to make a small contribution.

Every dollar of support is invested back into our journalism to help keep citynews.com.au strong and free.

Become a supporter

Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Share this

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

Follow us on Instagram @canberracitynews