28 October 2022
Southern Downs Regional Council recently adopted the Flying-Fox Management Plan (FFMP) to guide a responsible and balanced approach between the ecological management of flying-foxes and the protection of our community.
Southern Downs Councillor Stephen Tancred said the FFMP is part of Council’s ongoing commitment to humane and sustainable management of flying-foxes.
“The plan is based on a scientific understanding of flying-fox ecology and management and was guided significantly by the Queensland Government’s Flying-Fox Roost Management Guidelines and flying-fox management plans available from other local government areas,” Councillor Tancred said.
“Flying-foxes play a significant role in the healthy functioning of natural ecosystems as pollinators of many of our native trees and shrubs.
“We have many popular and picturesque National Parks across our region, but we can’t cherry-pick where we want flying-foxes to roost.
“The plan provides Council with roost management options that meet Council’s legal obligations under the relevant legislation and these range from minimal intervention, through to in-situ management or active dispersal.”
Managing flying-fox roosts is a complex issue requiring careful consideration of a range of management options to achieve a realistic balance between economic factors, public health and safety, animal welfare issues and ecological sustainability.
“The amount of effort required and associated financial costs increases substantially as more interventionist approaches are undertaken, as do the risks to flying-foxes, Council and community,” Councillor Tancred said.
“We need to accept a certain level of cohabitation and balance the potentially conflicting issues of the environment, our urban residents and our fruit farmers. Even if some of us don’t like them we need to live with them – they were here first after all.
“The FFMP offers a suite of decision support tools to guide Council through the difficult process of determining relevant management approaches to flying-fox issues across the region,” he said.
The three flying-fox species that frequent the Southern Downs include the Little Red Flying-fox (LRFF; Pteropus scapulatus); Black Flying-fox (BFF; P. lecto); and Grey-headed Flying-fox (GHFF; P. poliocephalus).
While all three species often occupy the same roosts in urban areas, slight differences in their seasonal movements, behaviour, and ecology can result in complex management issues and varying levels of conflict between flying-foxes and the community.
The purpose of the FFMP is to guide Council’s response to managing flying-foxes when and where they occur, particularly in residential and other sensitive sites in urban areas.
The objectives of the plan include:
• to ensure Council’s flying-fox management activities meet legal obligations and are based on scientific knowledge of flying-fox ecology and management
• to enable Council to address community concerns relating to flying-foxes whilst ensuring Council’s obligations for flying-fox welfare and conservation needs are met
• to enable Council to make sound management decisions that mitigate current flying-fox impacts on local communities and minimise the risk of future impacts arising
• to ensure flying fox management activities do not transfer and/or exacerbate flying fox problems
• to promote community understanding of flying-fox conservation, ecology, and health risks and encourage improved community engagement in flying-fox management.
Management opportunities in the plan include routine actions such as removal of tree limbs, whole trees, noxious weeds and leaf litter; education and awareness programs; property modifications; and buffer creation and protocols to manage incursion incidents.
A copy of the plan is available on Council’s website at https://www.sdrc.qld.gov.au/living-here/animal-management/roadside-grazing-and-travelling-stock/flying-foxes-bats-micro-bats
Council acknowledges the plan was developed with funding support from the Queensland Government’s Local Government Flying-Fox Roost Management Grants Program.
Last edited date 28 Oct 2022