Pig Control on Quandamooka Country
Feral pigs impact delicate coastal ecosystems and cultural landscapes within the Moreton Bay Ramsar Wetland by trampling, disturbing, and compacting vegetation and soils.
Pig Control on Quandamooka Country to protect biodiversity and landscapes.Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service has been conducting pig control activities on Mulgumpin since 2000, but more recently QPWS rangers have been utilising a range of techniques to reduce the pig population including remotely controlled traps, live cameras, and automated feeders.
Healthy Land & Water provided support to enable QYAC to lead Pig Control activities on Mulgumpin while considering cultural landscape values and Traditional Owner aspirations for Country.
Quandamooka Traditional Owners - through the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC) - in partnership with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) delivered the Pig Control on Quandamooka Country Program, which is eradicating Mulgumpin’s feral pig population.
First recorded in Queensland in around 1865, feral pigs have been present on Mulgumpin for over 100 years.
The Pig Control program rolled out across more than 600 hectares of Quandamooka Country to reduce and manage the island's feral pig population, estimated to be between 20-40 pigs.
What we are doing
Using wildlife cameras at three key feeding site locations on the island, pig movement is being carefully monitored.
Using wildlife cameras at three key feeding site locations on the island, pig movement was carefully monitored. The cameras provided real-time monitoring of wildlife and were powered by solar panels, allowing for long-term deployment of stations, and resulting in lower maintenance requirements.
Rangers were utilising computer deep learning to identify feral animals on camera. Once pigs were detected at the feed stations, management actions were developed and implemented.
Measuring success
The collaboration between QYAC and QPWS provided Quandamooka rangers with the opportunity to grow their knowledge and learnings around pig control techniques and technologies being used to implement the program. It also created an environment where QPWS Rangers learn from the QYAC Rangers about sites of significance and Traditional lifeways.
Due to the distance of islands from the mainland, control programs like this have a greater chance of significantly reducing the pig population with a high possibility of eradication.
If pigs are successfully eradicated from Mulgumpin, this will result in a significant land mass within the Moreton Bay Ramsar site (approximately 18,600 hectares) being effectively free of feral pigs.
Why this project is important
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Invasive animal and plant species have had a significant impact on the Australian environment, damaging landscapes and suppressing native species with widespread negative economic and cultural consequences. Pigs were originally brought to Australia as livestock but as they escaped captivity, they rapidly established wild populations and spread out of control. Pigs are now one of Australia’s most widespread pests. Feral pigs are a major pest that continues to cause serious damage to our biodiversity and ecosystems. Feral pigs also have a tremendous impact on Australia’s biodiversity by spreading weeds and disease. |
Project snapshot
| Project name: | Pig Control on Quandamooka Country |
| Project manager: | Chelsea Kluske, Healthy Land & Water |
| Catchment: | Mulgumpin (Moreton Island) |
| Timing: | 2018 – 2023 |
| Budget: | |
| Partnerships: |
This project was supported by Healthy Land & Water, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare program. The project was being delivered by the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC) and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS). |
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Project collaborators
This project was supported by Healthy Land & Water, through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare program.
The project was delivered by the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC) and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS).
