Managing pests and weeds in NSW alpine resorts

Pest animals

Pest animals such as foxes and feral cats prey on many native animals in resort areas and can harm native vegetation communities.

NPWS carries out annual control programs to lower the environmental impact of some pests.

These programs include the following:

• Soft-jaw trapping programs targeting feral cats and European red foxes are undertaken in spring and autumn, focusing on the known habitat areas of the mountain pygmy-possum and broad-toothed rat.
• Fox-baiting control programs are carried out more broadly across the landscape during winter.
• Feral cats are also controlled in winter by cage trapping around the resort villages. The resort operators work collaboratively with NPWS to implement the ‘See a cat, catch a cat’ control program which relies on placing cage traps in areas where cats have been seen.
• Rabbit-control programs are implemented in spring and autumn to reduce their impact on native vegetation.

You can help to minimise pest animals around resorts by keeping all food and rubbish securely stored, and preventing pest animals from occupying resort buildings.

You can also help map feral animals by reporting sightings. This will help to identify practical and humane ways to manage feral animals.

Weeds

Due to past land use and introduced plants, more than 200 weed species are found in Kosciuszko alpine resort areas.

Weed-mapping programs in all resorts have identified where high-priority weed species are, so that NPWS and resort operators/lessees can carry out coordinated management control programs for some species, including:

• milfoil/yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
• vipers bugloss (Echium vulgare)
• St John's wort (Hypericum perforatum)
• winter cress (Barbarea verna)
• Russell lupins (Lupinus polyphyllus)
• large rush (Juncus effusus)
• scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius).

In heavily disturbed areas, introduced plants (weeds) such as grasses and forbs often dominate the landscape, replacing native plants and providing habitat more suited to pest animals such as rabbits.

In recent years there has been a noticeable rise in exotic perennial grasses. NPWS research and monitoring continue to look at the best ways to control this weed type. Exotic grasses are controlled at rehabilitation sites, where native species are restored and planted.