Pest Animals
Pest animals may be observed in bushland and urban areas in the Camden Local Government Area (LGA). Camden Council takes a strategic approach to pest animal management within bushland areas, following the Greater Sydney Regional Pest Animal Management Strategy (Greater Sydney RPAMS) published by the New South Wales (NSW) Government’s Greater Sydney Local Land Services (LLS). Under the Biosecurity Act 2015 and the associated Biosecurity Regulations 2017, Council has a biosecurity duty to manage the risks posed by pest animals.
Camden Council prioritises action on pest animals based on the effectiveness of control options and the level of risk presented by the pest species. Currently Council’s focus is on the control of the European Rabbits and Feral Deer within council’s high value bushland areas. Management options are currently being investigated for the control of European Red Fox and Feral Goats within council reserves.
Actions to control roaming and feral cats are incorporated into Camden Council’s Cat Management Plan found on our website at Cats » Camden Council.
The pest species mentioned above are well adapted to the Australian climate and take advantage of suitable habitat associated with the peri-urban landscape of south-west Sydney. Eradication of these species over wide regional areas is very difficult; instead, containment and asset-based protection are prioritised as feasible options for management. Controlling numbers of pest animals and limiting their impacts on our bushland is essential to the protection and maintenance of essential habitat for our threatened and protected native species of flora and fauna.
How can you help?
If you observe pest animals in your local area, please submit your sightings to FERAL SCAN. Feral Scan is a very important tool for LLS and other agencies to identify problem locations for feral animals and to support planning for targeted control actions. Feral Scan can be accessed via the website, or a simple smart phone app, which his quick and effective for reporting sightings when out in the field.
Landholders within the Camden Local Government Area with land affected by pest animals can also contact Council or Greater Sydney LLS for further information to help meet their biosecurity duty to manage pest animals on their property.
Restricted Species
The Biosecurity Act 2015 also outlines a number of restricted species that are prohibited from being kept or released in NSW. These species are outlined in the following table:
How can you help?
If you observe any of these species in the Camden LGA, please notify Camden Council’s Sustainability Team at sustainability@camden.nsw.gov.au or Greater Sydney Local Land Services at gs.service@lls.nsw.gov.au. Early warnings of these species in our local environment are critical to the effectiveness of control measures.