Southern Ark aims to protect endangered species such as the Southern Brown Bandicoot from foxes.
Southerners Ark up on foxes
Foxes have had a devastating impact on native wildlife across Australia. In East Gippsland, Victoria, this impact is about to end as the Southern Ark Project swings into action.
Southern Ark is one of the largest and most important attempts to improve biodiversity ever undertaken in Victoria. The project follows on from five years of research that demonstrated that populations of small native mammals increase if effective fox control is carried out.
The primary aim of Southern Ark is to significantly reduce the fox population across one million hectares of public land in the eastern corner of Victoria (approximately 5% of the State), thereby enabling the recovery of populations of a wide range of mammals, birds and reptiles.
A wide range of threatened species will benefit directly from the reduction in fox numbers. These include Long-nosed and Long-footed Potoroos, Southern Brown Bandicoots, Hooded Plovers, Little Terns and Diamond Pythons. Even more common species, such as Common Brushtail Possums, Common Ringtail Possums and Long-nosed Bandicoots will also benefit. Native predators, such as owls and quolls should benefit from the increase in prey as a result of lowering the fox population.
Reducing the Foxes
Fox numbers will be reduced as a result of a baiting program to be maintained throughout the year. FOXOFF® Econobaits are the bait of choice, buried deep within specially constructed bait stations. The method of bait deployment is very important. By paying special attention to the way that the bait stations are constructed, the risk to native species is significantly reduced.
Foxes are willing and enthusiastic diggers in their efforts to find the baits, whereas native animals tend to leave the bait stations alone. About 5,000 bait stations are in the process of being constructed. These will be rebaited at regular intervals throughout the year, to ensure that once the resident fox population has been reduced, any young foxes dispersing into the area are also likely to encounter a bait station and consume a bait. These bait stations are the most important part of the infrastructure of the Southern Ark project.
Recovery of Ecological Processes
While the recovery of threatened species driven to the edge of extinction by foxes is a major aim, a much less tangible goal is the reinvigoration of the wide range of ecological processes that forest-dwelling mammals are involved in. These processes include dispersal of hypogeal (underground) fungi, seed dispersal and pollination, soil aeration and the breakdown of the leaf litter. Fire behaviour may even be influenced, as areas that support high numbers of ground-dwelling animals tend to have less fine fuel (grass, twigs) on or near the forest floor.
Monitoring
The success of the fox control program will be monitored using the level of bait-take from the bait stations, the occurrence of fox footprints on sand pads established at regular intervals across tracks, and the collection of scats from along certain tracks. All are expected to decline as the foxes are removed from the forest.
The response of the native mammals will be monitored using regular cage-trapping programs, and the establishment of lines of hair tubes - devices that trap hair, allowing for researchers to identify the species without restraining the animal.
