Problematic flying fox roosts in Logan will undergo nuisance management by the local council.
Camps in Meakin Park at Slacks Creek and Boronia Bushland Reserve at Boronia Heights are causing a stir in their respective neighbourhoods.
But new funding awarded by the Queensland government will enable Logan City council to curb reports of obnoxious screeching, overpowering smells, and excessive droppings and urine.
Flying fox camps can include up to 300,000 individual bats.
While council’s are prohibited from using lethal methods to manage overgrown and obnoxious roosts, they can implement tactics to destroy a roost, drive flying-foxes away from a roost, or move flying-foxes within a roost.
These can include using water sprinklers, floodlighting or tree trimming to create a ‘buffer’ between flying-foxes and residences.
Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI) deputy director-general Ben Klaassen said the funding awarded to council could be used to help prepare a roost management plan, undertake roost management activities and for programs to make it easier for residents to live near flying-fox roosts.
Logan City Council was awarded $16,120, which it will use to develop management plans for the two flying fox camps at Slacks Creek and Boronia Heights.
“Flying-foxes are essential for the survival of native forests but they can also pose significant challenges for councils that have roosts in parks and reserves in urban areas,” Mr Klaassen said.
“The new funding will help councils address these challenges and reduce the nuisance impacts of flying-fox roosts on nearby communities”
Originally a four-year $2 million initiative ending in 2024, the grant program has been allocated an additional $1.5 million to extend it for a further three years.
DETSI is working closely with the Local Government Association of Queensland to ensure funds are targeted to the areas of greatest need.
The latest round of the program will see seven Queensland councils receive a total of $250,000, for nine flying-fox roost management projects.
