Western Shield - Conservation Practices

Conservation Practices

Between the 1920s and 1950s scientists synthetically developed a poison called sodium fluoroacetate (commonly called 1080 poison), for use in biological warfare. Subsequently it was found that sodium fluoroacetate grew naturally in many plants of the south-west of Western Australia and many of the native mammalian herbivore fauna of the region had evolved with a natural tolerance to the poison. The plants, in the genus Gastrolobium, are commonly called "poison pea"; farmers often suffer livestock fatalities due to wandering animals that unfortunately wander into and graze the deadly plants.

During the late 1980s a conservation program relating to fox control - Fox Glove - commenced using dried meat baits and sausages laced with 1080 poison. Fox Glove was very effective by allowing native species' populations to increase due to the local eradication of introduced predators, namely foxes and feral cats, although the control of feral cats is much more difficult as the cats favour live prey. Poison coated oats and carrots are occasionally used to control herbivorous invasive species, including rabbit and rats.

Since 1996, when Western Shield was initiated, a Beechcraft Baron flies 55,000 km every three months, to drop the 770,000 1080 poison baits, into most national parks, nature reserves and state forest of the south-west of Western Australia, covering an area greater than half the size of Tasmania.