Media Release: Action needed to stop a feral future for Tasmania
Ahead of the Tasmanian election, the Invasive Species Council has called on all parties and candidates to make action on invasive species like feral deer, feral cats and weeds a priority.
The Invasive Species Council has released a comprehensive policy platform, Combating Invasive Species: Priorities for the next Tasmanian government, which identifies key policies, funding and reforms that are needed in Tasmania.
Priority invasive species reforms include:
- Removing the legal protection for feral deer and committing to eradicating them from the World Heritage Area, the Tasman and Freycinet Peninsulas, Bruny and King Islands, around Hobart, Launceston, and the northwest.
- Mandating pet cat containment and developing a comprehensive, funded state-wide feral cat strategy.
- Declaring feral goats as pests and phasing out ferrets as pets
- Increasing funding for the Weeds Action Fund to $20 million.
- $10 million for a dedicated island eradication and recovery program
- Supporting the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre’s $1.7 million Lungtalanana Cultural Restoration Project for cat eradication.
- Establishing Biosecurity Tasmania as a separate, independent agency and creating a dedicated Environmental Biosecurity Office within it.
‘We are sounding a warning bell that, without urgent action and funding from the next government, Tasmania faces an invasive species disaster’, said the Invasive Species Council’s Tasmanian Conservation Officer Dr Tiana Pirtle.
‘Tasmania is a remarkable island, with native wildlife found nowhere else on earth and highly valued agriculture, forestry, and tourism sectors.
‘But all this is under threat due to a lack of funding and focus from the government to protect Tasmania from highly damaging invasive species like feral deer, feral cats and weeds.
‘The good news is that with investment and commitment, Tasmania could turn this around and become a wildlife revival success story, free of the worst invasive species.’
Comment on feral deer:
‘Feral deer numbers have jumped dramatically to around 100,000 and they are now trampling and trashing the state, including iconic protected areas like Freycinet National Park and the World Heritage Area.
‘They are causing crashes on our roads, particularly around Launceston, and eating new trees that forestry or Landcare groups plant.
‘It’s absurd that in Tasmania feral deer are still protected by law rather than treated as a serious invasive threat.’
Comment on feral and roaming pet cats:
‘Feral and roaming pet cats hunt and kill millions of our native birds and small mammals every year. They have helped push at least 27 native Australian species into extinction and now imperil at least 50 Tasmanian animals.
‘Tasmanian needs an updated state-wide feral cat strategy and dedicated funding for island eradication efforts such as the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre’s eradication proposal for Lungtalanana/Clark Island.
‘Improving the management of pet cats in Tasmania would save the lives of millions of native animals around our towns and cities every year.
‘Currently, local councils can create 24/7 curfews for pet cats, but without community education, funding for enforcement and consistent state-wide rules, this tool is not being used effectively.’
The Invasive Species Council election policy platform, Combating Invasive Species: Priorities for the next Tasmanian government, has been provided to all parties and candidates and is available for download here.
Images and videos of invasive species for media to use are available here and here.
Media enquiries: 02 8006 5004
Background information
- The Invasive Species Council is an independent non-government organisation that advocates for stronger laws, policies and programs to keep Australian biodiversity safe from weeds, feral animals and other invaders.
- Every year feral and pet cats in Australia kill over 1 billion mammals, 400 million birds, 600 million reptiles and 90 million frogs.
- The feral deer population in Tasmania has grown fortyfold since the 1980s to around 100,000 and continues to grow at about 11.5% per annum.
- Tasmania is among the last states to continue to protect feral deer as a hunting resource rather than managing them as a serious invasive threat.
- Tasmania has over 300 offshore islands. 56 of these have introduced and/or invasive animals present. This includes serious invasive threats to some iconic islands such as feral cats and deer on Bruny Island, feral pigs on Flinders Island, and feral cats on lungtalanana/Clark Island (declared an Indigenous Protected Area in 2009).
- Tasmania has the highest number of introduced plants per hectare of all Australian states and territories. Weeds cost Tasmania more than $58 million a year.