Project Description
Weed control is only one part of ecosystem management, animal pest management is another critical part of improving biodiversity outcomes.
The 20 April webinar of the Chemicals In the Management of Biodiversity (CIMB) Working Group had two experts in the field of vertebrate control share the broad themes and detailed insights into chemical use of vertebrate control.
Richard Francis shared information on vertebrate pest management for strategic biodiversity outcomes. Richard provided an introduction into what products are available now for the management of not only vertebrate pests but invertebrates such as slugs, snails.
Dr Linton Staples is responsible for many highly successful innovations over a 40+ year career span of research and practical innovation & development for the environmental and agricultural fields. Dr Staples discussed the innovative, new, humane bait for feral pig control HOGGONE. Pigs are a threat to biodiversity, and harbours of disease across many areas of Australia.
This webinar was sponsored by AABR members Naturelinks and ABZECO.
Video Timestamps
00:00:00 – 00:01:00 Welcome and acknowledgement of Country
00:01:00 – 00:04:25 Introduction and agenda
0:04:25 – 01:01:10 Richard Francis – Innovations in Chemical Control of Vertebrate Pests
01:01:10 – 01:36:04 Dr Linton Staple – Hoggone- a Detailed example of one of the newer vertebrate pest controls
Meet the Guest speakers
Richard Francis is an ecologist and is the owner of ABZECO (Applied Botany, Zoology & Ecological Consulting) a flora and fauna consulting business based in Melbourne, Victoria. Richard has his BSc in Botany and Zoology and has been working in this field for the last 30 years. He undertakes flora and fauna assessments and land restoration. Richard is currently the president of the Vertebrate Pest Managers Association of Australia.
Linton Staples started his research career as a reproductive biologist at Cambridge University. On his return to Australia he observed that foxes posed a greater threat to lamb production and wildlife than was previously recognised. This led to FOXOFF as the first shelf-stable commercial bait to enable systematic predator control. Subsequently he successfully developed products to better control wild dogs (FOXECUTE and DOGABAIT), rabbits (RABBAIT), feral pigs (PIGOUT/HOGGONE), cane toads (TOADINATOR/ ACTA ATTRACTA), invasive ants (ANTOFF/ SYNERGY), plague rats (RATOFF) and mice (MOUSEOFF). He was contracted to prepare the full regulatory documentation of Rabbit Calicivirus (RCV1).
Collectively, over a period of 11 years, these projects have been estimated to have yielded on farm benefits exceeding $850 million. Linton’s company, Animal Control Technologies Australia (ACTA) has received BHP, Fujitsu and Telstra awards for environmental excellence and best business practice.