Feral Focus

Unit 4 : Sustainable management

Effective pest control is not easy. There are many factors that influence a result including economic circumstances, animal welfare issues, public perceptions and the availability of suitable control measures.

Often a sustained approach, coordinated across a wide area, is required to effectively control pest damage. Too often control effort drops off after some initial enthusiasm and damage caused by pest animals increases again to an unacceptable level. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of the program is essential to ensure control measures are effective, within budget and adjustments can be made where required.

This unit provides the students with interactive scenarios highlighting current control programs using innovative approaches to sustainable management of pest animals.

Student outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • understand that the complete eradication of a pest is rarely achievable;
  • understand the aim of pest animal management is to reduce pest damage to an acceptable level based on sound social, economic and environmental assessment;
  • gain a thorough knowledge of a pest's biology and understand that the damage it causes is key to effective and efficient control;
  • understand the complexities of pest animal management;
  • recognise that many interest groups need to be involved for effective long-term management;
  • acknowledge the benefits of pest management verses the cost of control;
  • identify desired pest management outcomes (short term and long term); and
  • recognise that monitoring and evaluation are essential.

Activities in this unit

Stop the raven raid (online activity)

Ravens are destroying your almond orchard and your livelihood. Choose a pest management solution that will best suit your needs, your bank balance and won't upset your hippy neighbours.

Endangered shorebird protection project (online activity)

Set in place a series of important recovery actions to guarantee the effective conservation of an endangered bird species before it becomes extinct.

Outsmarting the canefield rat (online activity)

Stop the ravenous Canefield Rat from ruining your sugarcane crop by manipulating its preferred habitat. Will owls and snakes help or hinder you?