Cane toads winning the war
CANE toads are winning the war.
The latest national plan has given up hope of eradicating the introduced pest and focuses on saving what is left of the other species it threatens.
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett released a draft national cane toad plan yesterday, saying its new
approach was to protect high-priority native species at risk from the cane toad menace.
The plan concedes eradication is not currently possible.
It says species such as the endangered northern quoll, the northern death adder and blue-tongued lizard need to be the targets for local and regional action.
The new plan’s release comes on top of a $2 million investment in cane toad management and research.
Mr Garrett said it also built on existing government commitments to James Cook University studies into improving cane toad trapping methods and University of Sydney research on helping northern quolls learn to avoid eating toads.
Far North Queensland Toad Day Out co-ordinator Lisa Aherns yesterday urged people not to give up on eradicating the introduced pest species.
The region’s second Toad Day Out will be held on March 28.
"What we can do is provide a stop-gap measure while the experts work on eradication plans … this is absolutely winnable with more funds and we welcome the idea of a co-ordinated national effort," she said.
Mr Garrett has called for public comment on the draft plan, which says the Government does not currently have the resources and technology to eradicate cane toads.
He said recent research showed some native animal species could adapt to the presence of cane toads after initial sharp decreases in numbers, so the new approach was on identifying those species and devising ways to manage the toad’s impact on them.
Far Northern Quoll Seekers Network’s Glenn Kvassay welcomed the shift in focus yesterday, saying the Cairns region could hold the key for scientists because quolls were showing signs of recovery through learned behaviour there.
"Populations in places like Cape York haven’t come back but in the Cairns region they do appear to have changed their behaviour to live side by side with toads," he said.
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Too hard basket:Cane toads are too hard to eradicate so now the focus is on saving other species.
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