Flying foxes to get no rest in Botanic Gardens

[depakid]

Hanging out in the gardens ... the trust wants to remove the bats, which are doing serious damage to the trees.
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To rid the Botanic Gardens of its damaging flying fox colony, the federal Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, could be forced to ignore his own department's description of critical habitats needed for the survival of the vulnerable species. The minister is preparing to consider two proposals dealing with the species: a national recovery plan that sets out the criteria for identifying habitat critical to survival; and a proposal to disperse thousands of bats from an area that meets every one of those criteria.

After several failed attempts to discourage a colony of grey-headed flying foxes from roosting in the Royal Botanic Gardens, a proposal has been put to the government for a month of co-ordinated noise to disperse the animals. The colony has killed 18 trees since 1990 and threatens 300 more. ''We've tried lots of things,'' the executive director of the Botanic Gardens Trust, Tim Entwisle, said. ''We've used water sprays, we've used strobe lights, we've put an inflatable man in the trees, we've put shrimp paste up there, we've used bags of python poo. For us, this is such an important historical resource we have to try .''

It is hoped Mr Garrett will approve the scheme - four weeks of recorded industrial noises, to be ceased if unsuccessful - in time for the program to begin in May. It has been approved by the state government. But the principal of Bat Advocacy, Nick Edards, said the scheme would be tantamount to sleep deprivation and there was insufficient evidence to determine its effect on breeding habits.

''The straightest way to say it is: an approval of the proposal would be completely inconsistent with the recovery of the species. And the minister is responsible for the recovery of the species,'' he said. ''I understand it's a complex piece of management but we don't believe they've looked at the alternatives seriously enough.''

The draft National Recovery Plan for the Grey-headed Flying Fox, also awaiting approval by Mr Garrett, lists three criteria under which any one point would make a roosting area ''explicitly identified as habitat critical to survival''. The Royal Botanic Gardens satisfies all three. But the gardens staff have identified numerous sustainable areas into which the colony could be introduced - areas including the Lane Cove and Garigal National Parks and other reserves from Silverwater to Kurnell.

More: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/flying-foxes-to-get-no-rest-in-botanic-gardens-20100225-p60j.html

MULTIMEDIA: Hear the flying foxes and see them up close: http://www.smh.com.au/multimedia/environment/flying-foxes-go-batty/20100226-p6lf.html

Hear Environment Minister Peter Garret making noise to scare the flying foxes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDkwUlaJhs0