Reclaim Kosci campaign

Kosciuszko National Park is under attack. The NSW Government is protecting destructive feral horses at the expense of Kosci’s incredible natural values and threatened species.

Join us and help reclaim Kosci by calling on the NSW Government to repeal the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act 2018 and put in place effective and

humane feral horse control.

Feral horses destroy alpine habitats, stomp fragile waterways and threaten native wildlife. They belong in a paddock, not our park.

BackgroundThe Kosciusko National Park (KNP) is a special place. With Australian Natural Heritage listing, KNP contains 21 unique species found nowhere else in the world, the only true alpine zone in mainland Australia, contains the headwaters of our longest river (the Murray) and boasts the highest peak in Australia, Mount Kosciuszko. It is estimated there are 6000 feral horses occupying around 48% of the KNP. These horses did not evolve alongside our native plants and animals and cause significant damage to the KNP natural environment. Their hard hooves compact the ground causing significant damage to waterways and trampling vegetation. The alpine and sub-alpine areas including the endangered Alpine bogs and fens community are particularly susceptible to trampling. They compete for resources with native herbivores. In June, 2018 a bill was passed to protect the feral horse within the KNP. This bill overrides the conservation values of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974, taking decision making processes away from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife and handing it to a Wild Horse Community Advisory Panel. The Reclaim Kosci campaign was launched in response to this destructive act to protect the exceptional natural heritage values of Kosciuszko National Park from the damaging impacts of feral horses.Specifically our goals embrace:

1. Raise public awareness about the damage caused by feral horses in KNP2. Demonstrate strong community support for protecting KNP through humane management of feral

horses3. Persuade the NSW government to overturn the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act 2018 and

take measures to substantially reduce the feral horse population in KNP

Reclaim Kosci has hit the ground running in its first few months of the campaign. Our campaign launch at NSW parliament house was a huge success, with supporters filling the room to listen to speakers such as Labors Penny Sharpe, Cate Faerhmann from The Greens, Nature Conservation Council CEO Kate Smolski and Professor Jamie Pittock representing the Kosciuszko science symposium. We have supported the Save Kosci walkers as they hiked all the way from Sydney to Kosciuszko in protest of the horse heritage act and helped facilitate the Reclaim Kosci protest outside of deputy premier John Barilaro’s office, with an overwhelming turn-out. We’ve generated a large amount of media coverage on the issue, and are now organising field trips for politicians and media into Kosciuszko National Park to view the damage. We’re building support through petitions, campaign sign-ups and social media channels, and will continue to keep the pressure up until the NSW government repeals this environmentally unsound law and puts in place effective and human horse management.

Website: www.reclaimkosci.org.au

Sign up to the campaign at: https://reclaimkosci.org.au/signup/

Reclaim Kosci is led by the Invasive Species Council and supported by the National Parks Association of the ACT, National Parks Association of NSW, Colong Foundation for Wilderness and the Nature Conservation Council of NSW.

Reclaim Kosci photos

Media

Protest

Launch