what is the TCZ?
In a collaborative effort between community, rangers and scientists, we plan to develop a fully funded Toad Containment Zone (TCZ) to halt the cane toad invasion just south of Broome.
Decades of ecological modelling of the behaviour of toads shows that by limiting access to artificial waterpoints, invasion can be halted. We plan to put this idea into action, by creating a "waterless barrier", which thousands of toads will enter each wet season. Without permanent water available, the toads that have moved into the TCZ will perish in the dry season, and the invasion front will be pushed back to the top of the barrier.
The principle is very similar to how we might use a firebreak to stop a bushfire. We essentially remove the “fuel” on which the toad invasion depends - permanent water.
There is a thin stretch of country (400km by 40km) between Broome and Port Hedland, where the Great Sandy Desert meets the sea. It is the only place where it is feasible to halt the toad invasion.
The vast bulk of permanent water points in this area are artificial water points installed by pastoralists to water cattle. These artificial waterpoints currently create a corridor through which toads will be able to spread, and so invade the Pilbara, Gascoyne and Murchison regions; an area larger than the State of Victoria, with abundant permanent natural water.
See the map below for an idea of where the TCZ will be!
People’s livelihoods depend upon these artificial waterpoints - we cannot simply remove them. However, it is straightforward to adjust them and make sure that they do not leak to prevent access to toads, while still making water available to cattle.
This “waterless barrier” will be the primary form of management - however, we will also utilise other technologies where appropriate, including fencing, tadpole attractants and traps, and targeted community toad-buster events. In this way, the TCZ can be thought of as a double or triple-layer strategy, to stop the invasion front as it first hits the TCZ.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which this project is conducted.
These lands always were, and always will be, the lands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
All images provided by Judy Dunlop, Ben Phillips and Tim Dempster.
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