Ministers: Protect our Dingoes - Victorian National Parks AssociationVictorian National Parks Association

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Dear Minister for Environment Steve Dimopoulos and Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence,

Re: Protection of Victoria’s Dingo populations for ecological and cultural health

Dingoes play an important ecological role in Victoria’s landscapes. From the deserts of western Victoria to the high alpine peaks, they also hold deep cultural significance for First Nations communities, as recognised in the National First Nations Dingo Declaration.

Dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) are listed under the Victoria’s threatened species legislation as Vulnerable. Despite that, they have been subject to an Order in Council by successive governments that revokes the protections afforded to them under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.
 
Evidence about the genetic integrity of Dingo populations and low levels of breeding with domestic dogs highlights the importance of protecting Dingoes. Trapping, shooting and baiting of Dingoes within a 3km buffer zone on public land, including protected areas such as National Parks as well as closed water catchments, must stop, and future management decisions about Dingoes and other culturally significant species must be made in partnership with Traditional Owner groups.

In March this year our state took a great leap forward in protecting the Big Desert population of Wilkerr/Dingo because of their declining numbers and low genetics due to inbreeding caused by culling.

I thank you both for your leadership in the re-protection for Wilkerr/Dingo in the Big Desert region. The first such decision made in Australia.

With the Un-protection order for Dingoes across the rest of the State expiring on 1 October 2024, I encourage you to extend the re-protection of our critical keystone animal across all of Victoria.
 
Dingoes as an apex predator are critical to the natural balance of native animal populations. They can be beneficial in the control of some pest animal populations, but the benefits that have never been fully realised due to the persecution and culling of Dingoes.

Re-protecting this apex predator will require long term monitoring, data collection, funding and shared decision-making with Traditional Owner groups, to allow better evidence-based and culturally safe approaches to Dingo care and management. Collection of data such as genetics, interactions with livestock and pest species and usefulness of non-lethal techniques to protect livestock is critical to understand how Dingoes use the landscape and how we can better live with them.

The collection of this data and publishing of the findings will be central in making informed, evidence-based decisions.

I also support the need to compensate impacted farmers for livestock lost to Dingoes and long term funding to allow farmers to investigate non-lethal options and monitor and communicate their findings. This will help build knowledge on useful non-lethal techniques to discourage Dingo and stock interactions.

Sincerely,

Dingoes are an important part of our intricate web of life. They hold deep culture significance for First Nations communities.

But they’re being slaughtered. Even though they’re threatened, there’s an ‘un-protection’ order out on them across most of Victoria.

It’s time we protect our iconic apex predator. The good news is, this ‘un-protection’ is under review.

Ask your Ministers to protect Dingoes across Victoria.

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