Six ACT nature reserves are to be closed in the evenings for the next two and a half months for this year’s conservation cull of Eastern Grey Kangaroos.
Director of ACT Parks and Conservation Service, Daniel Iglesias said the evening closure of the nature reserves and adjacent Territory lands until 1 August would allow for the safe delivery of the conservation cull.
Mr Iglesias said the nature reserves would remain open during the day and on weekends from Friday mornings to Sunday afternoons.
“Kangaroo management in the ACT includes fencing, fertility control and culling to reduce grazing impacts on the environment,” Mr Iglesias said.
“We aim to remove 1,568 Eastern Grey Kangaroos from six priority reserves,” he said.
“As always, this cull is in Canberra Nature Park, so there will be no culling in Namadgi National Park.
“We are confident this number will manage grazing pressure and achieve priority conservation outcomes while maintaining public, staff and contractor safety.”
Mr Iglesias said kangaroos were an integral part of the ecosystems and he hoped the community would understand that the conservation cull was vital for the wellbeing of the environment as well as for the many plants and animals that called ACT’s reserves home.
He said research demonstrated that overgrazing by kangaroos could threaten the survival of local grassland sites and species, cause erosion and promote weed infestations.
“Although we have seen above average rainfall over the last year, the ecosystem is still fragile,” he said.
“Where kangaroos remain above sustainable numbers we must continue to manage their populations to reduce grazing pressure and help our nature reserves maintain resilience against the effects of climate change now and into the future.”
Mr Iglesias said the cull would be undertaken in strict accordance with the National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Non-Commercial Purposes as well as with additional measures employed in by the ACT Parks and Conservation Service.
“Nobody likes shooting kangaroos, however we accept it’s the most humane method of kangaroo population management currently available to the ACT Government in its role as a responsible land manager,” he said.
Mr Iglesias said the reserves to be closed were Mount Ainslie Nature Reserve; Mount Majura Nature Reserve; East Jerrabomberra Grasslands; Farrer Ridge Nature Reserve; Goorooyarroo Nature Reserve; and Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary.
