A new online pest animal toolkit from the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre (IA CRC) is a one stop shop of practical knowledge to arm rural property owners from Rossmore to Wedderburn with the information and connections they need to combat pest animals.
IA CRC digital communications manager Keryn Lapidge said on Tuesday:
“We are pleased to have the Agriculture Minister, Barnaby Joyce, officially launch PestSmart Connect today, recognising this as an important knowledge hub for tackling pest animal problems such as wild dogs, which have become a really big economic and social issue for Australian farmers.”
The website also links to the FeralScan website and app which provides people with the capability to map pest animal sightings and damage and then to use this information to track and control the problem.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“This website is really strong on connecting people and communities,’’ Ms Lapidge said.[/social_quote]
“A feature is the ‘connect’ portal which aims to provide contact details of agencies, organisations and groups that are active in pest animal management and can provide people with services, useful advice or assistance – at a practical on ground level, but also at a policy level,” she said.
The PestSmart Connect website features pest animal species that are a having a major impact on biodiversity and agriculture in Australia including wild dogs, foxes, feral cats, rabbits and carp.
There are handy glovebox guides, videos about trapping and baiting, case studies and links to assistance.
“We hope this will be a useful knowledge hub for farmers and land managers and we plan to continue to improve the resource over time,” Ms Lapidge said.
The PestSmart Connect website http://www.pestsmart.org.au is the culmination of 10 years of information gathering and research by the IA CRC – Australia’s largest integrated pest animal management research organisation.
