By Equestrian Life
The Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Bill 2018 was passed late Wednesday through Parliament, meaning wild horses will protected — rather than shot — in NSW’s largest national park.
The Liberal-Nationals Coalition were able to pass the bill by gaining support from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party and the Christian Democrats.
The legislation means that the horses won’t be culled; instead, some brumbies will be relocated from environmentally sensitive areas. It’s still not entirely clear how this relocation would take place. The bill requires all future plans of management for Kosciuszko National Park to consider the cultural significance of the horses.
This legislation goes against a 2016 government report that recommended 90% of the 6,000 brumbies in Kosciuszko National Park be culled – reducing the herd to 600 over the space of 20 years.
The bill has certainly been controversial, with environmentalists outraged that a feral species has been prioritised over native species in the park. The list of scientific groups to condemn the bill is long and includes the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Australian Academy of Science. The International Union for Conservation of Nature recently warned that the move would damage the state’s and Australia’s global reputation.
These groups are concerned about the impact on not only native fauna, but also the delicate environment surrounding bogs and streams that are particularly sensitive to the hooves of horses. Native vegetation has evolved alongside our native animals — none of which have hooves.
READ THE LATEST NEWS ARTICLES HERE
