Protecting the Scott Coastal Plain 2022 -2025
The growing menace of feral pigs on the Scott River Coastal Plain (SCP) poses a very real & serious threat to both the biodiversity and cultural values of the SCP. The SCP contains two nationally important wetlands, a threatened ecological community and a number of registered Aboriginal heritage sites. The Feral Pig in Focus project provides a necessary a strategic, collaborative, and multi-year approach to control in order to protect the area and achieve results.
The project will support the Lower Blackwood Vertebrate Pest Management Group (LBVPMG) to work collaboratively with landholders, plantation companies, DBCA, DPIRD, Traditional Owners and local government to undertake priority feral pig control work to protect the Scott Coastal Plain (SCP).
This consists of 6-month trapping blocks in strategic locations per year for three years supported by a monitoring program and trialling of the ‘Hoggone’ Feral Pig Bait Box. Key to the program is working closely with landholders in the area to ensure that pig sightings and damage are recorded to identify hot-spot areas for the field officers to focus their work.
The LCDC will be supporting the LBVPMG field officers through managing and reporting on the data collected, developing and extending supporting resources for our community, facilitating workshops and working with the landholders in the Scott Coastal Plain area to maximise the impact of the project across the region.
A large part of managing the feral pig problem is dependent on the Landholder’s awareness of the problem.
The Lower Blackwood team has put together a management guide full of valuable information for all landholders:
Additional Support
The Shire of Augusta Margaret River has recognised the need for a pro active approach to address the growing threat of feral pigs in the catchment.
Through the 2023 Environmental Management Funding round, the AMR Shire is supporting a 1 year pilot Feral Pig Focus project in which the LCDC will assist the Lower Blackwood Vertebrate Pest Management Group (LBVPMG) to work collaboratively with landholders, plantation companies, DBCA, DPIRD, Undalup and local government to undertake priority feral pig control work in the wider Augusta-Margaret River Shire.
This new project will complement work already being done in the Scott Coastal Plain through this State NRM funded project ‘Feral Pig Focus – Protecting the Scott Coastal Plain 2022 -2025’
This work has also highlighted a need for monitoring and control of feral foxes and cats, and the AMR Shire suupport will enable field officers to take control action of these pests when encountered with data to be gathered to develop a Lower Blackwood feral fox and cat management strategy.
Pig Sighting Register
Although our key focus is currently on the Scott River area we are still keen to collect data on any other sightings in the catchment – so let us know if you see anything.
This project is supported through funding from the Shire of Nannup, Peppermint Estate Pty Ltd., and the State Natural Resource Management Program, and is facilitated through a continuing partnership with the Lower Blackwood LCDC the Lower Blackwood Vertebrate Pest Management Group.
In addition the Augusta Margaret River Shire, through it’s Environmental Management Fund, has provided support for a 1 year pilot Feral Pig Focus project to complement the Scott River Project for Feral Pig Control in the wider AMR shire.
