Dispersal of flying foxes from centre of Cairns 'farcical', wildlife groups say
Decision to relocate the animals comes despite species recovery plan identifying such tactics as significant threat Environment groups have questioned a federal government decision to approve the relocation of thousands of endangered spectacled flying foxes from the Cairns CBD despite a recovery plan for the species identifying dispersal tactics as a significant threat. Cairns regional council received approval from the environment minister, Sussan Ley, to use noise and lights to try to disperse about 5,000 spectacled flying foxes from roosting trees near the citys library. The council hopes the animals will move to habitat at a nearby swamp. The camp is one of the largest remaining colonies of spectacled flying foxes and the species is under significant pressure after mass deaths during the 2018 Queensland heatwave . The council wants the animals moved, citing concerns about the long-term viability of the roosting habitat given its urban surroundings, high mortality of young pups in recent breeding seasons, and the impact of the roost on community health and the citys appearance. But environmental organisations fear the plan will cause more distress for animals already under pressure. In February 2019, the former environment minister Melissa Price upgraded the species status from vulnerable to endangered after years of government delay. It followed a long campaign by Humane Society International to have declines in populations of spectacled flying foxes acknowledged and came after Guardian Australia highlighted lengthy delays in the listing of threatened species. The HSI has sought a statement of reasons from the government for its approval of the dispersal plan. Framing this as a relocation and marking out a proposed relocation site nearby gives a semblance of control, but its farcical to think people can designate where these exhausted and desperate bats will land and somehow guide them there, said Evan Quartermain, HSIs director of programs. The establishment of unpredictable splinter camps that will exacerbate conflicts is the most likely outcome. But Warren Entsch, the local MP, said the dispersal was necessary because the colony was isolated to only a few trees. He said in summer the flying foxes were at risk of overheating because the area was surrounded by concrete and asphalt. If we leave them there, theyre going to die because they are very isolated, he said. Entsch said the council had spent time planning the dispersal and the alternative site it had identified was known habitat where there was an existing population of the animals. If we sit back and do nothing we could see that entire population of spectacled flying foxes wiped out, he said. The recovery plan for the spectacled flying fox is now a decade old but it specifically lists harassment by humans which refers to dispersal and other actions to disturb flying foxes as a known and significant threat to the species. Under the EPBC Act, the minister is not permitted to act inconsistently with a recovery plan when making a decision about a development or project. Quartermain said the animal was in an extremely precarious state with numbers dwindling to the point it was likely critically endangered, rather than endangered. Roosting trees have been progressively cut down and inappropriate construction surrounding the site allowed to proceed, causing unusually high mortality levels, he said. Quartermain said the spectacled flying fox had been failed by Australias national environment law , the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, because the act did nothing to assess the cumulative harm that comes to species when multiple actions that destroy habitat are approved over a long period of time. A once-a-decade review of the act , chaired by the businessman Graeme Samuel, is under way. The EPBC Act has allowed this camp, once one of the most vital sites for the survival of the endangered species, to be pushed to the brink of non-viability. A spokesman for Ley said the councils plan had been approved, with strict conditions, by a departmental delegate for the minister. With these strict conditions, the department considers that the project would not pose a threat to the conservation of the spectacled flying fox, he said. He said the department had considered the recovery plan when assessing the councils proposal and ruled the project was unlikely to prevent conservation actions from being realised. But Bess Murphy, the community engagement coordinator for the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre, questioned the governments position, noting that in the 10 years the spectacled flying fox recovery plan had been in place the outlook for the species had only worsened. Murphy said the plan, enacted when the species was listed as vulnerable, was extremely out of date and had failed. We have just seen the EPBC Act fail at every single turn to protect this species, she said. Theres been multiple developments and tree removal and the cumulative impact of that has stressed these animals. Considering they have continued to decline, we really think there should be a halt to any major disturbance until the federal and state governments get together and form a new recovery plan. Murphy added that although the council had identified a preferred alternative site for the flying foxes there was no guarantee they would move there and experiences with dispersal in other local government areas showed it rarely worked. You really cant control a wild species, she said. Time and time again weve seen it simply doesnt work. Comment was sought from Cairns regional council.