Greg shared with the Commissioner details of the work being undertaken at local and regional levels to manage the impacts of wild dogs and dingoes on livestock and wildlife species with particular reference to the Northern NSW aerial baiting program. (For more information watch the Northern NSW aerial baiting video)
Other issues discussed included:
- Evolution and development of the NWDAP;
- How management and conservation of dingoes on public lands is managed through local community-led wild dog management plans involving all relevant stakeholders including public land managers and conservation agencies;
- How these managements plans are used to determine where and how aerial bait lines are delivered in remote landscapes;
- Outcomes of the recent aerial bait rate and Invasive Animals CRC wild dog management projects in the New England of NSW;
- Benefits to wildlife and threatened species through non-target uptake of baits delivered for wild dog control by foxes and feral cats across a range of environments; and,
- Use of guardian dogs for livestock and native species protection in Australian landscapes, success stories and limitations.
The Threatened Species Commissioner, Dr Sally Box was keen to learn more about the work of the NWDAP and adaptive management approaches being taken by land managers.
“I know that there are complex interactions at play when considering wild dog management, dingo management and how to set the right conditions for threatened species recovery” she said. “There is no panacea to saving species, and we need to use the right tools in the right places to make sure that we are having a positive effect.”
Greg thanked the Commissioner for her time and said it was a great opportunity to explore the challenges and opportunities that wild dog management has for wildlife and threatened species protection and to build on the stakeholder involvement that led to the industry development of the NWDAP.
