2014-06-17 Infrastructure and Services Committee Agenda

INFRASTRUCTURE & SERVICES COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                   17 JUNE 2014


11                        WALLACE PARK FLYING FOXES
DOCUMENT IN FOR MATI ON




Author                               Environment Officer, Peter Milne
                                     Planning & Infrastructure Department

Index                                ECM/Subject/Environmental Management/Fauna

Attachments                          Nil


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In January 2014, a large number of flying foxes, over 500,000 individuals, arrived at Wallace
Park Environmental Reserve. Since that time, flying fox numbers have greatly fluctuated, at times
only numbering several thousand individuals in the camp. In late May, a large number of flying
foxes returned to the park. The purpose of this report is to update Council on the Wallace Park
flying fox colony, inform Council on State and Local government flying fox roost management
policies and plans, and recommend flying fox management actions.

RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Environment Officer to the Infrastructure & Services
Committee Meeting dated 17 June 2014 and:
A.                        Continue to monitor the flying fox population and provide information to residents on
                          request as outlined in Option 1; and
B.                        Resolve to undertake flying fox non-dispersal mitigation actions as outlined in Option 2A,
                          subject to the 2014/2015 budget review.



REPORT
In January 2014 Council received reports of a large number of flying foxes in Wallace Park
Environment Reserve. Council and the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection
undertook monitoring of the colony and estimated that were over 500,000 flying foxes. Most of
the colony consisted of Little-Red Flying Foxes Pteropus scapulatus, but also Grey Headed
Flying Foxes Pteropus poliocephalus and Black Flying Foxes Pteropus alecto. All three species
are protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 and the Grey-Headed Flying Fox is listed
as vulnerable under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation
Act 1999. The conservation of flying foxes is essential because they play an important role in
seed dispersal and pollination of flowering plants, and are a food source for other species.
Nationally, flying foxes have declined in number, largely due to clearing of Eucalypt and
Melaleuca forest.

Since the arrival of flying foxes at Wallace Park, residents complain of smell, noise, potential
health risks and staining of pavements and outdoor areas. Council officers advised residents that
most of the flying fox colony consists of Little Red Flying Foxes that are highly nomadic and
therefore will move on when food sources, such as flowering Eucalypts, are depleted. As
anticipated most of the Little Red Flying Foxes moved on in March 2014 and for a short period,
several thousand flying foxes remained in Wallace Park. However in late May, a large number of
flying foxes arrived at Wallace Park, probably in response to the local flowering of Melaleuca
trees after rain. Recent surveys of Wallace Park suggest that the Little Red Flying Foxes have
now departed from Wallace Park and have been replaced by Grey Headed Flying Foxes and
Black Flying Foxes. Although the flying foxes are less densely populated than previous colonies,
the flying foxes now occupy the entire park and also vegetation behind the Noosa hospital.
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