Reclaim Kosci

Check out these new, highly detailed aerial images, which have been publicly released by mapping company Airborne Logic, that revealed the extensive damage by feral horses to the alpine rivers, grasslands and mossbeds of Kosciuszko National Park. Ecologist Dr Don Fletcher, who is giving evidence to the NSW Parliament today, said: “This new publicly available aerial imagery shows an astonishing density of horse tracks and horse damage in Kosciuszko National Park. “Almost everywhere you look there are webs of horse tracks scarring what is meant to be a pristine landscape. With these detailed aerial shots you can get a real sense of the scale of damage to alpine creek banks and native grasslands. “This is a stark picture of a national park turning into a degraded horse paddock.” Local indigenous river guide and honorary Associate Professor at the Australian National University, Richard Swain said: “I want people to look at these images and see the senseless destruction of Country by feral horses over the last 20 years. It has been a national disgrace. “For the sake of the high country it is past time that we put to bed the senseless arguments around feral horse numbers. The evidence that they are causing huge damage is uncontestable.” Professor Jamie Pittock, an expert on the ecology of the Alps and impact of the feral horses from the ANU’s Fenner School of Environment and Society said: “Feral horses are wreaking havoc in the high country. Those horse tracks you see cutting up the landscape are destroying the habitat of animals like corroboree frogs.” “The years of delay and inaction have seen feral horse populations rapidly increase and this has had devastating environmental consequences. “The headwaters of our major rivers are being polluted and turned into mud baths.” The images are publicly available here: https://knp-horse-count.web.app

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