The Supplementary Pest Control (SPC) Program is a partnership between volunteer shooters and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). Its goal is to deliver conservation outcomes by reducing pest animal numbers on selected areas of the New South Wales national parks system. Pest animals impact about 40% of our threatened species as well as cultural heritage sites.
The SPC Program was successfully trialled for three years and demonstrated the effectiveness of including volunteer shooters as part of an integrated solution to help manage pest animals on our parks and reserves.
The three-year trial was independently evaluated by the Natural Resources Commission (NRC). Their final evaluation report recommended the program continue, provided the high standards demonstrated during the trial could be maintained. The NRC report highlighted the rigorous standards around safety, communication, planning and implementation of the SPC program. The response to the evaluation was provided to the NRC in April 2018, which identified that the program would continue as per the recommendations.
As the program develops, we will update this webpage to tell you about the program’s progress, contact details and how to get involved.