There is some hope for the many residents that want the flying foxes at the Batemans Bay Water Garden to leave as a strategy exists to get them to move on.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Last November, Bega MP Andrew Constance welcomed the announcement of a new NSW Government strategy to minimise the impacts of flying-fox camps surrounding populated areas.
Mr Constance said the draft policy had the prime purpose of minimising health impacts of flying-fox camps on people.
"It will empower land managers, primarily councils, to work with their communities to sustainably manage flying-fox camps," he said.
"The strategy strongly encourages councils and other land managers to prepare camp management plans for sites where the local community is affected.
"We are taking a pragmatic approach to addressing the frustration that the community has felt and this policy will deliver better outcomes for people and for the species."
Flying-foxes remain protected and under the new policy land managers will be able to get a five year license to create buffer zones by removing vegetation to create a separation from populated areas and to disturb animals at the boundary of the camp to encourage roosting away from human settlement, carry out camp disturbance or dispersal by clearing of vegetation or dispersal of animals by noise, water, smoke or light and undertake camp management such as removal of trees that pose a health and safety risk, weed removal (including removal of noxious weeds), trimming of understorey vegetation and the planting of vegetation.
The Flying-fox Management Policy is now on public exhibition and can be viewed at: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspecies/flyingfoxcamppol.htm.
