Recreational shooting in state forests is not conservation

The State government must not cave in to demands from the Shooters Party and open up more than
3,900 square kilometres of public land to hunting in State Forest for the next decade1, according to the
Nature Conservation Council of NSW.

“Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson will give recreational hunters access to 142 state
forests over the next decade despite no credible evidence ad hoc, amateur hunting is an effective
method of feral animal control,” said CEO Pepe Clarke.

“In fact, recreational shooting can disperse or make feral animals wary and more difficult to control
with other methods. Hunters may also undermine effective control measures because they want to
maintain a hunting resource.

“For the safety of state forest users and the native animals that call them home, feral animal control in
our forests is not a suitable job for amateurs. Programs that effectively and humanely control feral
animals may sometimes benefit from the contribution of skilled shooters but open access for hunters
is generally ineffective.

“Feral animal control should be conducted as part of an evidence-based and coordinated program with specific targets, using effective and humane methods, and with monitoring to assess effectiveness and impact.

“Recreational hunting is not a silver bullet for pest control. There are heavy risks and little or nothing
to gain from exposing our native wildlife and recreational park users to the high risks associated with
allowing amateurs to wander our parks with firearms over the next decade,” Mr Clarke said.