A new draft plan for dealing with feral horses developed by the state of Victoria has been warmly welcomed by the ACT Government.
Minister for Land Management, Mick Gentleman said the new plan expanded management options and better aligned Victoria with the ACT’s zero-tolerance approach to the pest animals.
Mr Gentleman said the new horse management policies were essential to protect sensitive alpine ecosystems.
“Feral horses are one of the largest causes of environmental degradation in Australia’s alpine parks,” Mr Gentleman said.
“Alpine wetlands filter the water that flows into our drinking catchments and increasing feral horse numbers risk severely damaging these sensitive areas,” he said.
“Victoria’s new plan will give their ecologists and parks staff more options to effectively manage horse populations within their borders.
“Now we need the NSW Government to come to the table with a stronger management plan that’s consistent with their neighbours in the ACT and Victoria.”
Mr Gentleman said Namadgi’s ‘High Country Bogs and Associated Fens’ were added to the ACT Threatened Ecological Communities List last year, based on advice from the ACT Scientific Committee.
He said it was becoming more difficult to keep feral horses out of ACT’s parks as the populations of NSW feral horses grew.
Minister for the Environment, Rebecca Vassarotti said the Territory had declared feral horses a pest animal last year to recognise the damage that they caused to native habitats and species.
“Our precious environment does not recognise State boundaries, which is why a joint and consistent approach with NSW is the only way to protect the environment from pests in the ACT and surrounding region,” Ms Vassarotti said.
