Toads close to the WA border
Cane toads have changed the biological landscape of Qld, Northern
NSW and the NT in disastrous and irreversible ways. And now they
are on Western Australia's doorstep.
Ecologists warn that, unless stopped, cane toads will colonise
Perth. They may even infest areas as far south as Margaret River
and Esperance.
More on how cane toads threaten
WA's environments and economy ...
Can they be stopped?
 The
bad news is that cane toads are approaching the WA border. The red
line indicates the likely ‘current front line’ for toads
but we wont know for certain until the waters recede from this wet
season.
As you can see, we are talking about defending a line roughly the
length of Tasmania.
The good news is that we can, and we are, doing something about
this threat and that many people are ready to fight to keep WA cane
toad free.
WA is the first state to seriously attempt to prevent a cane toad
invasion. A defense is now being mounted and everyone is called
on to help.
Click to get larger image in new window
What is being done?
It is shaping up to be a landmark campaign ... people vs. toads
... and in preparation we’re seeing unprecedented levels of
cooperation, across state borders and between Government agencies
and community groups.
The WA Government was committed $6.1M to the battle so far. The
Federal Government $904,000
CALM has begun a major community awareness campaign and runs an
on-ground trapping and monitoring program from Kununurra.
Also out of Kununurra, ‘toadbuster’ volunteers go out
most weekends to trap, hand collect, and monitor toads.
The Stop the Toad Foundation fosters a strategic, integrated, whole-of-community
approach and offers direct support to groups and individuals undertaking
on-ground activities. It conducts its own on-ground operations,
and endeavours to fill gaps left by other groups. See THE
GREAT TOAD MUSTER
As a result, tens of thousands of westward heading toads are no
more!
What you can do to help
.
|
