About this publication
Predation by the red fox - threat abatement plan
December 2001
About this threat abatement plan
In March 1998, predation by the red fox was listed as a key threatening process under the Threatened Species Conservation Act. Under the Act, the NPWS was required to produce a threat abatement plan aimed at:
- reducing the impacts of red foxes on threatened species
- helping conserve biodiversity more generally.
The NPWS threat abatement plan was endorsed by the Minister for the Environment in December 2001. It is the first threat abatement plan to be completed under the Threatened Species Conservation Act. The plan is now being implemented across the state by the NPWS, State Forests of NSW and the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources.
The plan calls for a fundamental change in fox control for the conservation of native fauna in NSW:
Collaborative fox control programs across the landscape
The plan identifies priorities for collaborative fox control programs across all types of public and private land. It shows:
- which threatened species are at greatest risk from fox predation
- at which sites fox control is most critical for these species.
The plan identifies 81 priority sites for fox control across NSW, providing recovery actions for 34 threatened species (11 mammals, 15 birds and eight reptiles). Fox control and/or monitoring of threatened species populations has started at most of these sites, in collaboration with other agencies, community groups and private landholders.
Fox management guidelines
In addition, the plan provides best-practice guidelines for fox control. These guidelines aim to maximise the effectiveness of control programs, while minimising the impact of control methods on non-target species. The plan sets out the research that will be necessary to refine these practices.
Monitoring programs
The plan outlines monitoring programs which measure the response of threatened species to fox control. This critical testing shows whether populations of threatened species targeted for fox control are limited by fox predation. Such monitoring programs are fundamental to improving the effectiveness of threatened species management.
Experiments are targeting the following species:
- rufous bettong
- brush-tailed rock-wallaby
- yellow-footed rock-wallaby
- black-striped wallaby
- southern brown bandicoot
- broad-toothed rat
- Albert's lyrebird
- plains wanderer
- malleefowl
- Bellinger River turtle
- shore-nesting birds, such as the little tern and pied oystercatcher.
At the priority sites identified in the plan, fox control programs include standardised monitoring of threatened species and fox populations. Where possible, fox control is carried out in some priority sites but not in others. By comparing the effect of these different conditions on threatened species populations, researchers can test the response of threatened species to fox control.
Documents to download
- Predation by the red fox: threat abatement plan
- Main body of the plan (PDF - 951KB)
- References and appendices (PDF - 859KB)
Comment on this plan
This threat abatement plan has been finalised and is now in operation. You can still comment on the plan by sending us a submission. All submissions will be taken into account when the NPWS next reviews the plan.
Please note, that for the purposes of the NSW Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act, any submissions on this plan, including your personal details, will be a matter of public record and will be stored in the NPWS records system.
If you don't want to have your personal details disclosed to members of the public once the plan has been adopted, you can prevent this. Just indicate in your submission that you wish your personal details to remain confidential to the NPWS and not available for public access.
More information about privacy
- Find out more about your privacy rights on this website
- Contact your local NPWS office for more information on the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act