[Aqualist] Kosci NP draft feral horse plan

[Scott Mooney]

Hi People,

NSW has a draft plan to control feral horses in Kosci: while I don’t normally get involved in political campaigns (and AQUA-list is probably not a great avenue for this) something needs to be done to counter-balance the well organised horse lobby…

If you could spare a moment to email your support for the plan you can find details (from NSW Nature Conservation Council) below….
…the deadline is midnight tonight.

best wishes
Scott



It’s the last chance to have your say on the NSW Government’s draft management plan for Kosciuszko National Park’s feral horses; submissions close at midnight, Tuesday 2 November.

It’s time to help conserve Kosciuszko National Park’s incredible landscape — that is renowned as the home of Australia’s highest peaks, mesmerising mountain vistas, blue alpine lakes and the secretive corroboree frog — from the destruction of hard-hooves.

All you have to do is send an email to npws.wildhorses at environment.nsw.gov.au<mailto:npws.wildhorses at environment.nsw.gov.au>, let them know you want to provide feedback on the draft horse plan and raise the key points below.

  *   To protect Kosciuszko’s natural and Indigenous heritage, I strongly support the rapid reduction of the feral horse population from the current high numbers using a range of control methods, including lethal methods.

  *   The proposed target population of 3,000 horses is an improvement on the current situation, but has no scientific foundation and is still too high. 3,000 horses will likely continue to degrade the park and its catchments; reducing feral horse impacts should be the focus of the plan.

  *   Horses need to be removed from more areas. The park should be majority horse-free and horse retention zones should not overlap with important environmental assets, like sensitive wetlands and critical habitat for threatened species such as stocky galaxias, designated wilderness areas and important sites for Indigenous cultural heritage.

  *   The proposed use of ground shooting as one control method is an important breakthrough for the plan as it is one of the most humane and effective control options for horse control.

  *   Professional aerial shooting should also be included where remoteness and accessibility limits the application of other control methods.

  *   Biodiversity and conservation planning and laws should prevail above the protection of an introduced feral herbivore. The NSW Government should repeal the 2018 Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act.

  *   The plan should be strengthened and implemented immediately with funding clearly allocated to the control program to ensure the horse population is rapidly reduced.

If you need more information about the plan and how to make the best possible submission, you can read Reclaim Kosci’s submission guide<https://www.nature.org.au/r?u=Th06bqDECpdODZfsHxH1ODtMX_YHwncGrBM1x-3Lk2GcoWrKuEE_qQVbevSGr3u4H2_qwHsrgf6P0Vc2QdLARoigqO77Xg2B-MEHPAHZ_ghFFeaeX3yYG3DL5qPfUe4hEUEJNuVmpxQDJB23ZJaTuLHjP9jgAmubYSqwEafbxj8l_xpWTWntKzt5hM1wlKNiduasr7ZShb90ys8CkBIcLUF5Jwn-cUyLr1lW0SI7qUcRt14tW21y6Lwmo1_n7K57XQ0bLn3iiA8iSLjIOULlQYjnKU1_V0TaP9kWIKb64VP56Sl2xzcxPfZCca8UkhH00xvpbq9Boht5YYA-UYonFw&e=4c2bf39b0e59b84042f82f16ec3dbcc01aa7bcd9&utm_source=natureorg&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=211101_savekosci&n=2>.

This is your opportunity to help tip the balance towards protecting Kosciuszko National Park from ongoing feral horse damage.



A/Prof Scott Mooney FIAG

Deputy Head of School
School of BEES
Faculty of Science
UNSW AUSTRALIA

T: +61 (0) 2 9065 5231
E:  s.mooney at unsw.edu.au<mailto:s.mooney at unsw.edu.au>
W: https://www.bees.unsw.edu.au/our-people/scott-mooney
P: School of BEES, UNSW, 2052 AUSTRALIA

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