Environment

TURTLE MONITORING
Beaches between the Kirke River and Love River (Approximately 58kms) are monitored several days each week. Night surveys are also taken at various times during the week. Rangers record locations of all nests and identfity which of the three species have laid the nest. Data is recorded on survival rates and the times that turtles emerge from the nests.

FERAL PIGS
Feral pigs remain the number one issue affecting the Southern Wik Homelands. Feral pigs destroy marine turtle nests, ruin lagoons and water holes and create widespread damage. APN manages the impact on marine turtles through constant monitoring and laying nets over turtle nests. Aerial pig shooting is now showing real results with the number of pigs sighted and damage on the ground significantly reduced in 2017. Over 3,000 pigs were shot in 2017 with similar numbers destroyed in previous years.

WEED MANAGEMENT
The Southern Wik Homelands are relatively free of noxious weeds. A sicklepod infestation near Big Lake was sprayed and burnt in early 2017 and is being monitored in case any new plants emerge. A much larger infestation of Parkinsonia south of Ti Tree has been progressively treated for several years. After trialling several treatment methods, the Rangers have found that targeted application of herbicides were the most effective treatment.