The Victorian National Parks Association, Invasive Species Council and Environment East Gippsland have slammed the State Government’s decision to open 130,000 hectares of Victoria’s Errinundra and Snowy River National Parks to seasonal deer hunting.
“The government is shooting themselves in the foot. People visit national parks to walk, camp, birdwatch and immerse themselves in nature – not share the bush with amateur shooters with high-powered weapons,” Victorian National Parks Association executive director, Matt Ruchel said.
The organisations said that State Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos claimed hunting will ‘reduce the impact of deer on our national parks’, but the government’s 2021 Statewide Deer Control Strategy states that ‘…recreational hunting on its own is not an effective means of controlling deer numbers.’
“Let’s be clear, this is not a serious response to the serious issue of out-of-control feral deer populations trashing, trampling and polluting our forests and rivers,” chief executive officer of Invasive Species Council, Jack Gough said.
“Opening up national parks to recreational hunting is not going to make a difference to numbers on the ground.”
According to the organisations, the decision dramatically expands hunting areas beyond the 1.8 million hectares of state forest already available in eastern Victoria and contradicts the Alpine National Park Management Plan established in 2016.
The organisations said if hunting proceeds, Parks Victoria will need significantly more rangers with enforcement powers.
“We don’t need deer control as just a sport. We need bigger coordinated control programs with integrated aerial control and supervised, accredited or professional hunters, especially for the most important habitats,” Mr Ruchel said.
Jack Gough said: “Around the country, the shooting lobby have delayed, undermined and stopped effective feral deer control for decades and are the reason feral deer numbers are so high and growing.
“If the government is serious about protecting our wildlife, they need to stop pandering to the shooting lobby and scrap the protections for deer as game animals under Victorian law.
“This decision fundamentally undermines the purpose of national parks – to look after nature and provide a safe place for the public to experience it.
“There’s no evidence they’re doing anything but turning our national parks into game parks.”
The organisations are calling for a clear, well-funded program to protect high conservation value areas, using a combination of professional control, supervised accredited hunters and thermal-assisted aerial programs that can reduce deer populations faster than they reproduce.
