Project snapshot:
Bounceback — landscape scale invasive predator control in the Flinders Ranges
Showcasing Bounceback, a long running conservation initiative in the Flinders–Olary and Gawler Ranges:
The Bounceback program, launched in the early 1990’s, is a significant long-running conservation initiative in South Australia aimed at restoring the semi-arid environments of the Flinders–Olary and Gawler ranges. The program, managed by the South Australian Department of Environment and Water, collaborates with a wide range of partners, including landholders, government and non-government organisations, and research institutions. Bounceback addresses the impacts of European settlement, such as excessive grazing by domestic and introduced animals and predation by foxes and feral cats. It focuses on reducing introduced predator and herbivore populations, regenerating native vegetation, and reintroducing locally extinct species. Initially centred on fox control to protect yellow-footed rock-wallabies, the program has evolved into a broadscale recovery effort, expanding in scope and area. Key strategies include predator control through methods like aerial baiting, which has proven effective for managing fox and feral cat populations.
Across its more than 30 year history the Bounceback program has gradually increased in scope across the Flinders–Olary and Gawler Ranges. Image: SA Arid Lands Landscape Board.
Bounceback has been largely successful at reducing the impacts of introduced species. The fox-baiting portion of the program has seen dramatic success, with foxes determined to be functionally absent from the 7,000 km2 of baited area compared to densities of 10 to 20 foxes/100 km2 in nearby unbaited areas. Following the introduction of aerial baiting for foxes in 2007, feral cat sightings increased . Between 2017 and 2020, Eradicat (1080) feral cat bait trials also met high levels of success, with between 87 and 100 percent of radio collared feral cats succumbing to the baits across the trial period. Motion camera detection rates of feral cats declined between 40 and 70 percent during the trial period, and fewer motion cameras captured photos of feral cats at all .
Bounceback has allowed populations of yellow-footed rock-wallaby and other native species to increase. Photo: Rolf Lawrenz via Wikimedia.
The reduction of invasive species as part of Bounceback has allowed native populations to increase in the program area. Yellow-footed rock-wallaby (pictured) populations increased in response to activities such as feral goat and fox control, with many colonies that were at risk of local extinction now considered secure. Short-tailed grasswren populations have also increased, and they are now able to live in areas of lower habitat quality with reduced spinifex cover, largely due to fox control. There are also indications that malleefowl are recovering within the Gawler Ranges, with increased activity of malleefowl mounds and signs of chicks hatching. Carpet python, bluetongue, and sleepy lizard populations seem to have increased in the project areas, and motion cameras have shown that echidna and sand goanna are more likely to be detected in areas managed under Bounceback. The program has been so successful that in 2014 reintroductions of western quoll and brushtail possum were carried out and populations of both species persist in the environment today. Red-tailed phascogale reintroductions also began in 2022.
The effectiveness of Bounceback lies in its adaptive management approach and strong community partnerships. Collaboration with landholders, government organisations, and conservation groups has enabled a coordinated and landscape-scale strategy that addresses both immediate and long-term ecological challenges. The program’s ability to adapt and evolve over time, responding to emerging challenges and integrating new techniques has been key to its enduring success and serves as a model for similar conservation initiatives. Bounceback showcases the effectiveness of adaptive, coordinated, cross tenure, landscape-scale conservation efforts.
Information on this page was obtained from Recovering Australian Threatened Species: A Book of Hope (CSIRO Publishing 2018). Click here to read more about Bounceback.
This project snapshot initially appeared in the February 2024 issue of the National Feral Cat and Fox Management Coordination Program Newsletter. To subscribe to the newsletter, click here or fill out the form at the bottom of the page.
Banner photo: Rolf Lawrenz via Wikimedia.
Other Resources
Click here to find out more about FeralScan a free community-designed website and smartphone app that allows you to record observations and evidence of introduced pest animals (such as foxes and feral cats), the damage they cause (including predation of native wildlife or lambs), and control actions in your local area (such as baiting, trapping and shooting).
The PestSmart Toolkits provide further information about how to plan, manage and improve your feral cat or fox management program.
The CISS Glovebox Guides, Planning Guides and Field Guides are useful pdf or printed booklets for managing pest animals like feral cats and foxes, developing a simple feral cat or fox management plan or undertaking a best practice baiting program.