Feral pigs cause significant damage to agriculture , flora and fauna .
Managing weeds and feral animals
Invasive weeds and feral animals devastate natural ecosystems , while costing agriculture hundreds of millions of dollars each year in management and lost productivity . NQ Dry Tropics undertook a range of activities to address these threats , in partnership with local stakeholders .
Protecting landscapes from feral pig impact
NQ Dry Tropics partnered with Barcaldine and Isaac regional councils to deliver the two-year Queensland Feral Pig Syndicates project , in response to a surge in feral pig numbers caused by abundant food following significant rainfall during 2021-22 .
QUEENSLAND FERAL PIG SYNDICATES PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS ( 2022-24 )
750,000HA
COVERED B Y
AERIAL SHOOTING
4199
69.8HRS
PIGS CULLED OF FLIGHT
TIME
3 CLUSTER
GROUPS FORMED
These cluster groups were focused around Belyando River , Mistake Creek and Native Companion Creek . Four aerial shoots delivered by local contractors took place at three to six month intervals , successfully culling more than 4000 pigs .
Funded by the Australian and Queensland governments , the project aimed to reduce pig impacts on the environment and agriculture through a combination of aerial shooting and mobilising local landholders to form cluster groups to share the cost of professional eradication services .
Aside from damaging crops and agricultural land , feral pigs trample and consume native species including ground-nesting birds , frogs and snakes ; they wallow and foul-up waterholes and wetlands ; cause riverbank and soil erosion ; and spread invasive plants .
PG 30 NQ DRY TROPICS | YEAR IN REVIEW 2023-24 30