2015-10-13 Planning & Organisation Agenda Attachment 1 to Item 6 Draft Flying Fox Management Plan

 draft
Executive summary
Noosa Council engaged Ecosure to develop a management options report for a flying-fox
roost at Wallace Park, Noosaville.

The roost was first recorded in 2013, and has been used consistently by grey-headed
(Pteropus poliocephalus) and/or black flying-foxes (P. alecto), with seasonal influxes of the
little red flying-fox (P. scapulatus). The roost generally fluctuates from several hundred to
31,000 individuals, however peaked at almost 468,000 with a large influx of little red flying-
foxes in February 2014 .

Council has received a number of complaints from residents and businesses in relation to the
roost, reporting primarily amenity and financial impacts, and to some extent fear of disease.

In addition to Council and nearby landholders, there are a number of other stakeholders with
a keen interest in the park and flying-fox roost. These stakeholders have also been consulted
and will be considered in future management.

The roost is considered to be of national importance for the threatened grey-headed flying-fox
in accordance with Commonwealth policy. There are also a range of other ecological values
of the site, and associated relevant legislation.

To inform and assist the community Council has developed a flying-fox fact sheet, consulted
with neighbouring residents and businesses, and created buffers through selective vegetation
trimming/removal.

Ecosure assessed a range of management options for this site, including:

    •   Education
    •   General mitigation measures for private land managers such as managing flying-fox
        attractants, modifying properties and creating buffers/barriers
    •   Creating buffers between private properties and roosting flying-foxes
    •   ‘Nudging’ flying-foxes away from high conflict areas using low intensity disturbance
    •   Using planning instruments to avoid future land use conflict
    •   Dispersal.

There are a range of potential risks that are greatly increased with active dispersal (compared
with managing a roost in-situ). These include:

    ·   impacts on animal welfare and flying-fox conservation
    ·   increased aircraft strike risk associated with changed flying-fox movement patterns
    ·   splintering the roost into other locations that are equally or more problematic
    ·   shifting the issue to another area



Wallace Park flying-fox roost – management options                              ecosure.com.au | i