Chapter 3

Nimbyism and Nature: Whose Backyard Is It

Anyway?

Jennifer Scott, Marnie Kikken, Michelle Rose, and Penny Colyer

Abstract The Ku-ring-gai community have long expressed a strong desire to keep
their suburbs green. When asked, most people comment that they moved to the area
to live in a bushland setting. Given this enduring set of values, it is interesting that
Council spends a great deal of time fielding complaints from residents about nature’s
miscreants, those birds, animals and plants that fail to respect property boundaries
or intrude into the lives of residents in the bushland interface areas. This paper
examines one such dilemma challenging public land managers; when people and
nature come into conflict. The issue in question is that of a long standing flying fox
camp in Ku-ring-gai and the problems arising from the close proximity of these
animals to local residents. It is a debate that has passionate proponents on both
sides.
The flying fox management issue provides an insight into the juxtaposition
between people who want to live close to nature but on strictly human terms. The
strategies proposed to keep the peace between the residents and the champions of
the flying fox is an instructive environmental management example that is likely to
become increasingly common as pressure on the remaining natural resources in
urban areas continues to rise.

Keywords Suburbs • Bushland • Nature • Land manager • Environmental

management

3.1 Introduction

The Ku-ring-gai Council Local Government Area (LGA) is located to the northwest
of the city of Sydney and is regarded as part of the city’s North Shore region. The
LGA covers 84 km2 and contains distinctive physical features such as deeply incised
and forested gullies, with Sydney Blue Gum vegetation dominating the ridgelines.

J. Scott (*) • M. Kikken • M. Rose • P. Colyer

Ku-ring-gai Council, Locked bag 1056, Sydney, NSW, Australia 2073
e-mail: jscott@[Link]

© The Author(s) 2016 29

B. Maheshwari et al. (eds.), Balanced Urban Development:
Options and Strategies for Liveable Cities, Water Science and Technology
Library 72, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-28112-4_3
30 J. Scott et al.

The area receives an annual average rainfall of 1,118 mm per annum and contains 2
critically endangered and 5 endangered vegetation communities, 1 threatened popu-
lation and 18 threatened species (Biodiversity Strategy 2006).
Trees, specifically Sydney Blue Gums, are considered iconic and give the local
area a distinctive character. The Blue Gum High Forest and Sydney Turpentine
Ironbark vegetation communities (assemblages of flora associated with the trees)
have been classified critically endangered with less than 1 % of the original pre
European settlement forest area remaining (Biodiversity Strategy 2006).
The Ku-ring-gai Biodiversity Strategy (2006) p.7 states ‘Within our LGA the
bushland-urban interface is a major factor defining our character and influencing
biodiversity’.
After thousands of years of occupation of the area by Garingai people, Europeans
first settled in the area around 1810. Given the high rainfall and productive clay
soils, the area served to provide fresh fruit and vegetables to the Sydney market.
During the early part of the twentieth century, Ku-ring-gai became popular with
wealthy city dwellers looking for a rural retreat that was close to, but also a world
away from, the dirty polluted atmosphere of the city. The Ku-ring-gai community
today remains one of the least disadvantaged communities in Australia (SIEFA
Index 2012).
The urban footprint of Ku-ring-gai dominates the higher contours with housing
extending into bushland areas along ridge lines to the north and south of the main
ridge that divides the municipality in half. With a major road artery and railway line
located on the top of the main ridge, urban development is intensifying along the
length of this corridor. Three national parks surround the LGA and 120 bushland
reserves are managed by Council within the area. Around 13,000 homes are directly
located on the bushland interface and as a consequence bushfire is an ever present
danger.
The Ku-ring-gai Community Strategic Plan expresses the Vision for 2030 as
‘Ku-ring-gai will be a creative, healthy and liveable place where people respect
each other, and conserve the magnificent environment and society for the children
and grandchildren of the future’
Efforts to conserve the natural resources of the area continue, although external
funding and support for such programs is currently declining. At the same time
there are those in the community that find living so close to nature arduous for one
reason or another. Some residents believe that their property is their property and
trespassers, whether they are human or not, should enter only upon invitation. In
some cases this may not have always been their opinion. Advancing age, ill-health
and other changes in life circumstances can alter a person’s attitude to the bushland
from one of inspiration to exasperation. New residents, particularly those from
overseas can be intimidated by the bush and its creatures as they are completely
alien to them.
Within the community there is a wide range of views regarding conservation;
from the entitlement of a reasonable person to enjoy their property to a deep green
commitment. The behavioural characteristics of many wild species are not always
consistent with the needs and expectations of some land owners.
3 Nimbyism and Nature: Whose Backyard Is It Anyway? 31

This paper explores the tension between residents and wildlife on the urban
bushland interface in Ku-ring-gai. As the urban footprint expands and intensifies so
does the pressure on the survival of species and their habitats in remnant bushland.
The management of the flying fox and their camps in the Ku-ring-gai municipality
and elsewhere has generated a broad range of responses in the community, both
positive and negative. The subsequent policies and strategies introduced by various
land managers to control the impacts of flying foxes on residents contain instructive
lessons for the wider management of urban wildlife. Ku-ring-gai Council gathered
data from other land managers to review the success of flying fox management
strategies already attempted. The information coming from this investigation along
with extensive community and stakeholder consultation provided the basis for
Ku-ring-gai’s own approach to the management of the flying fox and its habitat.

3.2 The Benefits of Bushland

Being near bushland brings a sense of calm and substance, a place where the hectic
pace of life can be shut out. The air seems fresher and the scent of the bush invigo-
rating as the trees and other plants play host to a myriad of insects, birds and
animals.
Many people elect to purchase property in Ku-ring-gai because they enjoy the
‘natural’ feel of the area. Apart from the inherited and contemporary societal values
associated with living in close proximity to nature, other more tangible benefits can
be linked to bushland. These benefits have been expressed in Council’s Community
Vision and include enhanced property values; educational values; market values
such as income from fees charged for film locations; seed banks; and recreational
activities, to name but a few that enrich the lives of the local community.
Communities with extensive tree canopy are generally cooler in summer (Brown
et al. 2013) and quieter for the most part. While these benefits are acknowledged
both unofficially and officially, the contention for some living in specific bushland
locations demand Council’s time and attention.

3.3 The Disbenefit of Bushland

Trees cause a great deal of angst and sometimes rightly so. The Ku-ring-gai area has
a long history of severe storms characterised by gale force winds and hail. Storms
have on occasions (such as 1991 in North Turramurra) caused millions of dollars of
damage and taken the lives of local residents.
Storm damage to homes, infrastructure, cars, roads, parks, gardens and businesses
often occurs as result of falling trees and their limbs. Thousands of trees can come
down in a severe storm, taking months to clear away and dispose of. The costs are
not only financial but also physical and psychological. The 1991 storm generated a
32 J. Scott et al.

clean-up bill of $670 M (Ku-ring-gai Council 1991) which in 2014 dollars would be
well over $1B. Street trees contributed to the damage bill but so did trees located in
bushland reserves, close to homes, gardens, pools and other infrastructure.
The other local issue of great concern regarding trees is bushfire. Ku-ring-gai
also has a long history of impact by bushfire and some in the community believe that
a canopy tree close to their home makes their home more vulnerable to radiant heat.
Extensive research has demonstrated that the loss of most homes in bushfire is from
ember attack as it is the major source of ignition (Blanchi and Leonard 2005; NSW
RFS 2011). Regardless, some in the community continue to believe the only way to
reduce the risk of losing their home in a bushfire is to remove the trees.
Fire and storm dominate the conversation around trees and their associate risks.
However other nuisances are associated with living in close proximity to bushland,
for example, leaf drop blocking gutters and littering swimming pools, animals such
as lizards and snakes taking up residence in gardens and birds stealing food from
unsuspecting pets. While these issues may seem trivial, to those people who have
to endure them it is very serious. Some people feel trapped in their homes during
magpie mating season, gardens get taken over by weeds for fear of stepping on a
snake and pool owners give up trying to keep their pool clean having been defeated
by the mass of leaf litter falling most days.
Living in close proximity to wildlife habitat s can be exhilarating to some and
obnoxious to others with both ends of the spectrum populated by relatively small
percentages of the interface community. Both extremities make good sense in their
arguments for and against the conservation of these natural areas and the constituent
wildlife. Land managers are required to tread a wary path between the two factions.
With no easy answers available and a strong incentive to avoid win/lose outcomes,
land managers continue to search for win-win solutions.

3.4 The Flying Fox

In recent times one species has demanded a great deal of attention, both within
Ku-ring-gai and across Australia. This species highlights some of the challenges of
managing habitats and animal populations in close proximity to the community.
Managing flying fox populations on the urban interface has required considerable
time, research and investment to be directed to it. An examination of the issues and
the strategies may yield some important lessons for public land managers when
facing the challenges of managing urban interface spaces and species.
Grey-headed flying foxes (Pteropuspoliocephalus) are large migratory bats that
occupy forests and woodlands in the coastal lowlands, tablelands and slopes of
southeast Australia from Bundaberg (Queensland) to Geelong (Victoria). They are
present continuously in coastal lowlands in the northern part of their range and in
metropolitan areas such as Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney and Melbourne, where
artificially diverse food occurs because of plantings.
3 Nimbyism and Nature: Whose Backyard Is It Anyway? 33

Grey-headed flying foxes feed primarily on blossoms and fruit in canopy

vegetation and supplement these with leaves. Their diet includes over 100 species of
native flowering trees and fleshy-fruited trees and vines.
The modern flying fox diet now includes fruit of introduced plants such as garden
and orchard trees, street trees, introduced palms and some noxious weeds. Grey-
headed flying foxes forage over extensive areas with one-way commutes of over
50 km recorded between camps and foraging areas, although commuting distances
are more often less than 20 km.
Flying foxes play a vital role in our ecosystems, particularly in pollination and
seed dispersal of flowering and fruiting trees. Because they move freely among
habitat types during their foraging trips they transport and disperse pollen and seeds
of diet plants across fragmented, degraded and urban landscapes. Seeds have a
greater chance of growing into mature plants when they germinate away from their
parent plant. Seed dispersal also helps to expand the gene pool within forests which
in turn promotes forest resilience to future impacts to the local environment (Qld
EHP 2014).
The Grey-headed flying fox is listed as Vulnerable under the NSW Threatened
Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act) and the Commonwealth Environment
Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Females give birth
to only one live young each year, which is one of the reasons their population is very
vulnerable. This legislation protects these animals and it is illegal to harm or try to
move them without the appropriate consent.
Within the Ku-ring-gai area an important maternal colony of Grey-headed
flying-foxes roosts in the Ku-ring-gai Flying-fox Reserve (KFFR). The bushland
reserve is adjacent to an urban residential area and bounded by approximately 100
properties.
Covering an area of 15.34 ha, the KFFR contains a variety of wildlife habitats. In
addition to flying foxes the reserve supports other threatened species such as the
Powerful Owl and Sydney Turpentine Ironbark Forest (an Endangered Ecological
Community under the NSW TSC Act and EPBC Act) (Fig. 3.1).
In 1991, an urban residential property development was approved in close
proximity to the Ku-ring-gai flying fox camp. A Reserve area was identified and a
Conservation Agreement entered into between Ku-ring-gai Council and the New
South Wales Government in response to concerns the maternal colony was likely to
be under threat. The Agreement ensured the continued protection and preservation
of native flora and fauna, in particular the Grey-headed flying fox colony and all
elements of its habitat within the reserve (Ku-ring-gai Flying fox Reserve
Management Plan 2013).
The Reserve is significant for the flying foxes as it provides a roosting and
maternity habitat, access to food in both urban landscapes and native forests and a
stopover habitat for migrating animals, whilst supporting a resident population. The
Reserve is also a site for long-term research, including the longest population
monitoring of any flying fox camp in Australia (Ku-ring-gai Flying fox Reserve
Management Plan 2013).
34 J. Scott et al.

Fig. 3.1 Map of Ku-ring-gai Flying Fox Reserve (Ku-ring-gai Flying Fox Plan of Management
2013)

Since the 1980s the Ku-ring-gai Bat Conservation Society and other researchers
have monitored flying fox numbers in the Reserve. This data has been incorporated
into a national database to better understand trends in flying fox movements and to
detect any decline in numbers.
Ku-ring-gai data shows annual and seasonal variations in the KFFR camp
population from zero to around 80,000 animals. During winter numbers may fall
to only a few hundred with no flying foxes recorded on eight occasions. During
the summer months numbers swell to around 20,000–40,000 peaking in the
March breeding season. Numbers of 70,000 or more animals have been recorded
only twice – in 2000 and 2009. The local data indicates a trend of decreasing
average numbers in Grey-headed flying foxes between 1998 and 2012. This trend
is consistent with the increase in the number of camps in the Sydney Basin from
7 in 1989 to 22 in 2013.
Historically the flying fox colony has moved periodically around the KFFR, in
response to seasonal conditions and as an adaptation to roost tree damage. At times
when the flying fox colony inhabits the deeper areas of the Reserve the impacts to
residents have been negligible. However, since 2009 the flying fox colony moved
into an area very close to properties adjacent to the KFFR, as depicted in Fig. 3.2
below.
3 Nimbyism and Nature: Whose Backyard Is It Anyway? 35

Fig. 3.2 Flying Fox numbers over time in the Ku-ring-gai Flying Fox Reserve (Ku-ring-gai Flying
Fox Plan of Management 2013)

3.5 Ku-Ring-Gai Flying Fox Management

While Council is the land manager of the KFFR, the community has played a vital
role in the Reserve’s management. The Ku-ring-gai Bat Conservation Society has
provided valuable advice and assistance with on-ground works since 1985. In recent
years, the number of issues from residents adjacent to the Reserve has risen as a
result of the noise, smell and droppings impacting them when the flying foxes have
shifted closer to the Reserve edge.
The KFFR has a specific management plan prepared in accordance with the
Ku-ring-gai Flying-fox Reserve Conservation Agreement. In response to the
ongoing lifestyle, health and wellbeing impacts on residents adjacent to the KFFR,
the 2013 Ku-ring-gai Flying-fox Reserve Management Plan attempts to strike a
balance between management actions to conserve the threatened species and
ecological communities within the Reserve and management actions to reduce the
impacts of the flying foxes on residents. Such balance had to occur within a
prescribed management framework, largely determined by State and Federal
legislation (for example, the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and the
Environment Protection & Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999) and the
conditions of the Conservation Agreement.
The 2013 plan was prepared in consultation with the Ku-ring-gai Flying fox
Reserve Advisory Group, consisting of representatives from Council, the Ku-ring-gai
Bat Conservation Society, residents and relevant government agencies.
In developing the management strategy for the KFFR, Council and the Advisory
Group critiqued a number of potential management actions (which were derived
36 J. Scott et al.

from other land managers who had already attempted many different strategies with
varying success) against a set of criteria, including the terms and conditions of the
Conservation Agreement, relevant legislation, research, Council plans and policies,
the Reserve’s physical constraints, funding, staff resources, community support and
volunteer capacity. Council also consulted numerous stakeholders and residents
adjacent to the KFFR during the public exhibition period of the 2013 KFFR
Management Plan.

3.6 Learning from the Experience of Other Land Managers

Many Councils in NSW and other states manage bushland reserves containing
flying fox camps. Flying foxes do not always choose to camp in bushland reserves
and occasionally move into town areas where park and street trees provide a source
of food and shelter. In these instances the impact of these animals is more obvious
and immediate and more likely to bring the animals into closer contact with a larger
number of people. At least in reserves there is a ‘buffer’ between the flying foxes
and people, although in Ku-ring-gai this buffer can be quite small depending on the
exact location the flying foxes choose to roost each season.
Given the protection afforded to the flying fox under law, there are limited
options available to land managers to control the impacts of flying foxes on local
communities.
Roberts et al. (2011) discuss the remedies utilised to reduce the impact of flying
foxes on the community. These have included minimising disruption to the camps
and nudging-dispersal-relocation techniques. Numerous agencies have attempted to
re-locate flying foxes with varying degrees of failure as the animals demonstrate a
strong fidelity to camps that is not easily broken. If they do move it is not as a group
(Eby and Roberts 2011).
The outcomes of 17 recent Flying fox dispersal attempts were systematically
reviewed (Roberts and Eby 2013) and a set of common outcomes were identified to
guide their use in Australia. Camps varied in size from several hundred animals to
over 200,000. This review identified that:
• in all 17 cases, dispersed flying foxes did not abandon the local area;
• in 16 of the 17 cases, dispersals did not reduce the number of flying foxes in a
local area;
• dispersed flying foxes did not move far (in approximately 63 % of cases the
flying foxes only moved <600 m from the original site, contingent on the distri-
bution of available vegetation. In 85 % of cases, new camps were established
nearby);
• in all cases, it was not possible to predict where replacement camps would form;
• conflict was often not resolved. In 71 % of cases conflict was still being reported
either at the original site or at other unacceptable locations years after the initial
dispersal actions;
3 Nimbyism and Nature: Whose Backyard Is It Anyway? 37

• repeat dispersal actions were generally required (in all cases except extensive
vegetation removal); and
• the financial costs of all dispersal attempts were high, ranging from tens of
thousands to millions of dollars, for active dispersals (for example, using noise,
smoke etc.).
Roberts and Eby (2013) note that these patterns only varied where abundant
financial and human resources were available (for example, Royal Botanic Gardens –
Melbourne and Royal Botanic Gardens – Sydney); or specific landscape character-
istics existed (for example isolation from neighbours in Batchelor, NT); or the
connection through a habitat link to an ‘acceptable’ location as in the Royal Botanic
Gardens – Melbourne).
It appears that the potential for unintended consequences, the lack of ability to
pre-determine or control the new location of replacement camps and the high costs
involved make relocation an unviable option.

3.7 Viable Management Options for the Ku-Ring-Gai Flying

Fox Reserve

3.7.1 Council Management Actions

Management actions implemented in the 2013 Ku-ring-gai Flying fox Reserve

Management Plan, aimed at reducing the impacts of the flying foxes on residents
adjacent to the Reserve, include: the re-location of a flying fox release cage (as part
of the KFFR rehabilitation and release program) to a nearby Reserve; canopy
replenishment in the core of the KFFR; strategic tree removal and treatment works
in the KFFR, close to residential housing; formalised community engagement
processes and elevated community engagement efforts during periods of greatest
community concern; and continued consultation with relevant agencies, organisa-
tions, councils and flying fox experts on management options for the Reserve.
Unfortunately, the activities conducted to date have had little success in alleviating
the impacts on residents adjacent to the Reserve.
Hence, in November 2014 a range of management options aimed at nudging or
dispersing flying foxes from properties adjacent to the KFFR were re-assessed
based on their economic, social and environmental costs/benefits, and in their
ability to, as stated in the recently released Flying Fox Camp Management Policy
2014 – Consultation Draft (NSW OEH 2014) be “legally defensible in balancing
community concerns and neighbourhood amenity with environmental outcomes”.
The management options assessed were:
• Improving roost habitat in the KFFR core, away from residents
• Private property tree removal
• Selective roost tree removal/pruning within 10 m of a dwelling wall, pool, deck
or other living space in the most affected areas
38 J. Scott et al.

• Selective roost tree removal/pruning within 10 m of the KFFR boundary in the

most affected areas
• Creation of 10 m vegetation buffer zone from the KFFR boundary in the most
affected areas
• Creation of 25 m vegetation buffer zone from the KFFR boundary in the most
affected areas
• Creation of 50 m vegetation buffer zone from the KFFR boundary in the most
affected areas
• Use of noise to disperse and re-locate flying-foxes
This assessment revealed that the key factors in determining the likely success of
any nudging/dispersal attempts can be identified as follows:
• whether the conflict is likely to be resolved in the broader community and not
just around the original site, that is, the problem is not transferred from one unde-
sirable location to another, or several, other undesirable locations;
• whether the financial and human resources required are proportionate to the
scale of impact being experienced within the community;
• the likelihood and scale of any unintended (but detrimental) social and environ-
mental impacts;
• the specific landscape characteristics, that is, are alternative camp locations
isolated from urban settlements and is there a habitat link to ‘acceptable’
locations?;
• the welfare outcomes for the flying foxes; and
• the availability of food sources – flying foxes are unlikely to leave a local area
when a camp is dispersed as long as food remains available.
In light of the above, in the case of the KFFR, the physical, legislative, environ-
mental and financial constraints, as well as the potential unintended social conse-
quences deem any management actions to nudge or disperse the camp location,
beyond further strategic tree removal to alleviate the most direct impacts of the
flying foxes, not appropriate or feasible. As a result, Council recently resolved to
fund selective roost tree removal/pruning within 10 m of the KFFR boundary in the
most affected areas.

3.7.2 Encouraging the Community to Adapt

The local community is divided on the best way to deal with the flying fox. Apart
from the physical discomfort experienced by some, resident concerns extend to the
health risks arising from the proximity to flying foxes. Council provides information
on the prevention and treatment of diseases transmitted to people through bites and
scratches from flying foxes. Encouraging people directly involved with the flying
fox to be vaccinated against diseases transmitted through bites and scratches is the
first priority. Educating the residents on their risk exposure from living in proximity
to a flying fox is aimed at alleviating their concerns relating to this aspect.
3 Nimbyism and Nature: Whose Backyard Is It Anyway? 39

In extreme situations residents can consider the benefits of retro fitting proper-
ties, including acoustic insulation, pool covers and high pressure water pumps for
cleaning down surfaces quickly and effectively.
With no good alternative responses yet available, Council manages the KFFR
with conservation and habitat protection as main objectives. It is thought that by
doing so, this will contribute to the overall health of the species and conform to the
Conservation Agreement and the species ‘threatened’ status.

3.8 Discussion

As with any community debate land managers need to juggle a number of responsi-
bilities. Legislation often dictates the type of responses that can and cannot be
considered. Nimbyism and justice in decision making on environmental issues is
usually topical. The label of Nimbyism has been used by some in the past to disem-
power the arguments regarding an unwanted and arguably unwarranted develop-
ment. In particular the Nimbyism label can be applied intentionally to disengage the
views of those in the community negatively affected by a development from
the decision making process. It is unsurprising then that dissatisfaction with land
managers occasionally features in newspapers across the country. While the case of
flying fox management is a different context to that of a development, there are
certain similarities. Both sides of the case (want flying foxes; do not want flying
foxes) have passionate proponents with valid viewpoints that need to be reconciled
to a conclusion. Some residents enjoy the presence of these animals while others
suffer them unwillingly.
Fairness in such dichotomous and emotionally charged situations is a hard road
to tread. Chances are that nobody will be satisfied with a compromise except
possibly the flying foxes. As Smith and Scott (2006) notes urbanisation generates
pressures from a combination of expanding population and increasing demands on
natural areas. Inevitably tensions grow and conflict follows.
Institutional arrangements for the conservation of remnant habitat areas and
endangered species come under close scrutiny from time to time. This scrutiny is
particularly fierce from those whose properties adjoin the natural areas where
wildlife activity impacts upon the peace and enjoyment of home owners. Councils
are generally the target of any complaints in situations where the Council is the land
manager.
Ku-ring-gai residents reportedly (North Shore Times 28/08/13 Danielle Nicastri)
endure ‘a living hell’ created by the noise and odour from the nearby flying fox
camp. One resident claims in the article that ‘you cannot hold a conversation in our
back yard, we cannot swim in our pool and we haven’t had friends stay over or have
a BBQ because of the bats’.
Clearly their complaints have substance as anyone who visits the local flying fox
camp during times of activity will attest to. Ku-ring-gai Council’s Councillors and
the General Manager have described the resident’s situation as ‘horrific’ (North
40 J. Scott et al.

Shore Times, 28/08/13 Danielle Nicastri) and have since responded with strategies
designed to reduce the impact of noise inside homes by removing roosting habitats
adjacent to houses.
Flying fox activity regularly appears in the news at locations traversing the length
of the Australian east coast. Flying fox numbers swell and decline up and down the
coast for reasons not yet well understood. The Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne
elected to encourage the flying foxes out of the gardens to limit damage to trees and
public areas. The Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney has attempted to do the same.
Some Ku-ring-gai residents worry it will mean more flying foxes on their door step
while others believe that increasing the pressure on these animals will see emerging
diseases such as Hendra virus take a stronger hold on the weakening condition of
the flying foxes over time. According to the NSW DPI (2014) ‘..hungry bats may
have been carrying Hendra virus, and stressed animals tend to shed more virus’.
Directing resources towards flying fox habitats to keep the animals healthy may
reduce the probability of viruses, such as Hendra, causing problems in the future.
Flying fox supporters join together in societies (such as the Ku-ring-gai Bat
Conservation Society) to promote the welfare of the flying fox. In Cairns, the ABC
News (29/04/14) reported that the Council attempted to relocate a flying fox camp
out of the main street by trimming trees and removing the roosting sites. Local
protestors claimed that these actions would do nothing to solve the problem but
rather make it worse. ‘it causes stress to the colony and possibly to individuals and
if there is some relocation occurring then this can be to a more problematic area’
one protestor claimed.
According to those supporting the flying fox in Ku-ring-gai, ‘before 1989 there
were seven flying fox camps around Sydney… located on the edge of cleared land
where animals had easy access to both bushland and urban gardens. In 2013 there
are now twenty two camps …. And some [camps] are now occupied through winter’
(Friends of Bats newsletter, June, 2013). It is proposed that misguided attempts to
modify habitats and scare flying foxes onto other locations has had the effect of
fragmenting the camps into a series of smaller camps (Friends of Bats newsletter,
June 2013). Arguably this has increased the number of people coming into close
contact with the species, increasing the number of complaints and pressure for fur-
ther control attempts to no good effect for either the flying foxes or local residents.
Millions of dollars in public funds has been spent across the country in attempts
to move flying foxes to more desirable locations. According to Roberts et al. (2011)
relocation attempts have been ‘.ad hoc, and lacking of systematic documentation,
costing and monitoring’ and flying foxes have relocated to ‘new sites that have been
unanticipated and in undesirable locations’.
Presently there is no foreseeable change in the legal status of flying foxes and
current research and experience suggests that there are no viable management
options in sight to alleviate the most severe impacts of the flying foxes on residents
living in close proximity to camps. In most cases those negatively affected by the
noise and odour have little choice but to improve the resilience of their homes and
properties in an attempt to lessen the effects of living in close proximity to the flying
foxes.
3 Nimbyism and Nature: Whose Backyard Is It Anyway? 41

3.9 Lessons Learnt

The experience of managing land devoted to the conservation of the flying fox in
urban Australia has been complex and lengthy. Several lessons emerge from the
research into flying fox management that could be helpful in the management of
other species that affect properties neighbouring bushland areas. The following
lessons have informed Council’s management approach within the KFFR:
• Interfering with habitats or attempts to modify the natural behaviour of the flying
fox inevitably exacerbates the problem through unintended consequences.
Attempts by the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens to move flying foxes out saw the
flying foxes end up in Centennial Park. Attempts by Cairns City Council to move
the flying foxes out of trees in the main street saw the animals move into trees at
a local school. In both cases the magnitude of the problem was amplified by
bringing more people into closer contact with the animals;
• Community education: the most popular community education events run by
Ku-ring-gai Council concern local wildlife particularly when it involves species
that are controversial and have a human impact such as flying foxes, ticks, bandi-
coots and bush turkeys. People can happily co-exist with the flying fox habitat
nearby when they better understand the values associated with flying foxes, the
general magnitude of impact and options available to manage any negative impacts;
• Modification of the built environment: a far more practical, effective and effi-
cient management measure is to strengthen the resilience of homes, properties
and lifestyles to the impact of wildlife;
As Roberts et al. (2013) note it is the magnitude of the perceived problem that is
important. This needs to be understood before responding. For example, if noise,
smell and faeces from a camp affect only a small number of residents, then smaller,
local-scale mitigation options should be applied. In this way the unintended conse-
quences of the management action will be minimised and be less likely to result in
a worsening of the problem.
It is the unintended consequences of management actions that need to be thor-
oughly investigated and understood. For example altering the flying fox habitat or
the animal’s natural behaviour may inadvertently foster the incidence of zoonotic
disease by increasing the stress on animals who are already experiencing pressure
for resources from urbanisation of habitat areas.
Biodiversity integrity and human health have long thought to be inextricably linked
(Pongsiri et al. 2009). Strategies to manage wildlife impacts on urban populations
need to be mindful of the bigger picture surrounding the immediate context of these
decisions. Increasing pressure by further degrading biological resources to the point
where the system declines could have a range of significant consequences. Conserving
the integrity and diversity of biological resources can assist in maintaining resilience
to emerging diseases. The response to the problems created by urban development
encroaching on conservation areas must prioritise minimal disruption to the service
and functions of the natural systems for any successful resolution to emerge.
42 J. Scott et al.

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