Brumby Watch Australia - Kroombit Tops Introduction ______________________

The Kroombit Tops National Park, situated south west of Gladstone, Queensland, is a high rugged mountainous area surrounded by Forest Reserves.
The Queensland Government placed state forests in south east Queensland into forest reserve tenure as an interim in the hope to convert these forests into national park.
Many Queenslanders, especially graziers, are against this proposed tenure change to national park as they will lose the rights to traditionally graze these forests. Aborigines are also very concerned at losing basic rights if these forests become national park.
The Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service (QPWS) has a poor record for managing national parks. Many people are concerned that if these forests become national park, they will be "locked" up, mismanaged and become major fire hazards. The QPWS has limited funds in managing the states national parks.

Photo right: Kroombit Tops brumbies.
Photo copyright - Isobel and Allan Rideout
All brumbies in this photo are believed to have been killed.
Brumbies have been in the Kroombit Tops area since 1919.

Photo right: Kroombit Tops 'scrubber' (wild) cattle.
Photo copyright - Isobel and Allan Rideout
Scrubber cattle have been in this area since about 1870. Pure Shorthorns still run up in these mountains.

Photo right: Damage by wild pigs in the Kroombit Tops forest reserve.
Note the ground is quite "ploughed up" in the bottom left quarter of this photo.
Fortunately damage by wild pigs is not a major problem. yet.

The Kroombit Tops National Park and surrounding forest reserves contain many 'pest' plants and animals. The following, although not complete, is a list of pests:
Plants
Creeping lantana - A very large amount of this intrusive ground cover exists.
Bush lantana - This is a very hazardous fire fuel in softwood forests and scrub.
Red natal grass
Green panick
Buffle grass
Prickly pear
Cats Claw
Animals
Cane toads
Pigs
European bees

One can only wonder why the Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service is so determined to remove the brumbies and wild cattle from Kroombit Tops when the area contains the many serious pest plants and animals as mentioned above.
As one brumby advocate expressed "brumbies make good 'potshot', and if these are removed it makes it look as though QPWS are doing something".
Brumby Watch Australia was advised that for the government to do the required study and come up with a solution to control creeping lantana, it may cost about $600,000.