A famed alpine national park appears to be on the mend, as authorities make tidy progress controlling its brumby population.
Surveys across the Kosciuszko National Park estimate the brumby population has been slashed from more than 12,000 to between 1579 and 5639 in just a year.
It puts the NSW government on track to hit a mandated target of 3000 feral horses over nearly one-third of the park by mid-2027.
Images from the park show reduced bare ground and increased vegetation coverage along with less soil damage and trampling of stream banks.
Aerial brumby shooting resumed in NSW under the state Labor government in November 2023, with around 6000 believed to have been clipped since to progress towards the population targets.
The progress has been welcomed by the Invasive Species Council, who said the trend down showed genuine momentum towards protecting the park.
“We’re finally seeing a turning point … fewer hard-hooved feral animals trampling the fragile alpine environment means more native species returning, more delicate wetlands recovering and more hope for one of Australia’s most vulnerable national parks,” CEO Jack Gough said.
“‘Kosciuszko is home to threatened species like the northern corroboree frog, broad-toothed rat and critically endangered alpine she-oak skink – all of which suffer when feral horses degrade their habitat. Every delay puts this more at risk.”
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service trialled three different survey methods in their population count, including standard distance and mark-recapture distance sampling across 39 per cent of the park.
Those two methods produced estimates of between 1579 and 4007 horses, and between 2131 and 5639 horses, each with a 95 per cent confidence rating.
The NPWS is not expected to shoot any more brumbies in the area and it will maintain the 3000-horse population from mid-2027.
NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe told a budget estimates hearing earlier in March “to actually have them (brumbies) shot from helicopters is not needed anymore”.
Last week, parliament debated repealing the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act 2018, which protects the “heritage value” of the brumby population and shaped the current population targets.
Mr Gough pointed out no MPs had spoken against the proposal.
“The ridiculous (former Deputy Premier John) Barilaro law was never based on science – it was a political stunt that protects a population of destructive feral horses,” he said.
“We now need Premier (Chris) Minns to step up and finish the job – by removing a law that protects a feral animal over native species in a national park.”
Water quality, threatened species and sensitive areas will all be monitored to track the park’s continued recovery.
https://thewest.com.au/news/environment/kosciuszko-mending-after-brumby-cull-slashes-population-c-18763033
