Ominous tracks in iconic Australian national park highlights 'harmful' crisis

Yahoo

30-06-2025

Photos taken from the Kosciusko National Park in New South Wales showing the extreme damage feral horses continue to wreak on the fragile local landscape have escalated, mounting calls to the government to better manage their numbers.
The images amassed hundreds of responses from impassioned locals and show major erosion taking place across the park, thanks to brumbies. They've garnered attention merely days after Independent MP Joe McGirr introduced a bill to parliament to repeal the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act.
The 2018 legislation currently recognises what it describes as the cultural and historical significance of wild horses and mandates that at least 3,000 remain in Kosciuszko National Park.
But scientists, conservationists and large portions of the public, including McGirr, argue the Act prioritises an invasive species over fragile alpine ecosystems, causing damage to wetlands, peatlands, and native wildlife habitats.
Supporters of McGirr's bill, including environmental groups like the Invasive Species Council, say the Act must be amended to allow continued ecological restoration and more effective population control. Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, Jack Gough, CEO of the Invasive Species Council, explained that the situation is complex, but must be tackled.
He described culling as an "unpleasant" but necessary measure to safeguard the park's future, and all that depends on it. "What we saw with the introduction of the petition — over 11,000 people signed and brought it to Parliament, triggering a debate in May — was that politicians from Liberal, Labor, the Greens, and Independents all support putting this bad chapter in NSW' history behind us," he said.
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"We want politicians across the spectrum to see national parks as places for our native animals, not as degraded horse paddocks. I'm confident that with the support of the two local members covering the park — Minister Steve Whan and Joe McGirr in Wagga Wagga — and with clear support within the Liberal Party and the Greens, we can get the numbers in both houses of Parliament for this to pass."
Gough said that while the issue remains divisive, "we've seen a remarkable shift in political, public, and media sentiment over the last few years".
"There's been so much attention on the damage," he said. "Incredible photos are showing the recovery in areas where horses have been removed, and people understand that having heavy, hard-hoofed animals trashing, trampling, and polluting sensitive alpine areas — the headwaters of our major river systems like the Murray, Murrumbidgee, and Snowy — is not something we want in Australia.
"This is a difficult conversation. Nobody likes to see animals killed, but the sad reality is we have a choice to make: whether we urgently reduce the feral horse population, or allow it to remain out of control and see our native wildlife pushed to the brink of extinction, and see that incredible mountain landscape cut up, drained, and degraded."
Brumbies are considered highly destructive to Kosciuszko National Park because the alpine environment is extremely fragile and not adapted to support large, hard-hoofed animals. Their trampling damages delicate native vegetation, compacts soil, and accelerates erosion, particularly in sensitive areas like peatlands and alpine meadows. Unlike native species, horses have a heavy physical impact on the landscape, often destroying plant life that takes years to recover.
They also degrade waterways by trampling creek banks and stirring up sediment in streams, which reduces water quality and harms aquatic habitats. This has serious consequences for native animals like frogs and fish that depend on clean, stable environments.
Brumbies also compete with native wildlife for food and space, often pushing out smaller, more vulnerable species. Critically endangered animals, including the corroboree frog and broad-toothed rat, are particularly at risk as their habitats are destroyed or disturbed.
Additionally, the presence of wild horses can alter fire behaviour by creating dry, uneven ground cover through overgrazing and trampling.
Those against repealing the Act don't represent the Australian public, Gough insists.
"People understand that action is needed. When that petition was debated in Parliament, not a single voice in the lower house of the NSW Parliament spoke in opposition to it," he said. "That tells you how much has changed.
"There is a tiny minority [of people opposed]. The local members covering the park both want this changed. Yes, we know that lots of issues can seem like they have a loud voice online, but out in the Australian public, people just want action.
"They understand it's difficult, they understand it's not pleasant—but they back the future of our native wildlife and Australian landscapes over protecting a feral animal in a national park."
If passed, the McGirr's bill would dissolve the current advisory panel and enable new wildlife-management plans to be developed from 2027 onward. While Labor and Liberal politicians are expected to back the repeal, the Nationals and Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party may push back.
Advocacy groups like the Australian Brumby Alliance and the NSW Animal Justice Party want non‑lethal solutions such as rehoming and immunocontraception instead. But Gough said, "feral horses should be treated the same as feral pigs or deer in a national park."
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