In a setback to Australia’s iconic Wet Tropic World Heritage Area, the federal budget has failed to explicitly fund the successful yellow crazy ant control program run by the Wet Tropics Management Authority in Cairns.

A state action plan released last week by the Victorian Government acknowledges the devastating impact feral deer have on the state’s environment. Yet feral deer continue to be protected by law in Victoria as a game species for hunting.

The Tasmanian Government’s Wild Fallow Deer Management Plan, released Sunday, continues the protection of feral deer within hunting zones and designates deer hunting areas within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.