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Wildlife Friendly Fencing
How you choose to mark your boundary has a large impact on local wildlife. Before building your fence, ask yourself if it’s really necessary. Fences can stop animals moving from one area to another and are detrimental to wildlife feeding, migration, breeding and social patterns. An alternative to a fence can be native plant hedging as they can provide wildlife corridors, food and habitat.
If a fence must be built then several factors should be taken into consideration:
- the animal species present in the area
- their abundance
- the occurrence of daily/seasonal animal movement
Animals which benefit from ‘wildlife friendly fencing’ (fencing which allows the passage of native wildlife) include bandicoots, echidnas, lizards, turtles, possums, gliders and antechinus.
How to make your fencing wildlife friendly:
- Include holes in your fence with minimum dimensions of 150mm wide x 100mm high at ground level spaced at 6 metre intervals.
- Plant trees or shrubs on either side of the fence or lean solid wood poles on both sides for animals to climb up and over. This makes it easier for fauna to climb over.
- Adding a wider top rail to the fence to create an animal walkway.
- Remove barbed wire and don’t electrify fencing.
- Pool fencing should be designed to exclude wildlife (no holes). In the event that an animal falls in, ensure that they can easily escape. For example, provide a sturdy rope attached to a buoyancy device or a plank of wood stretched across the pool.
What if I have a dog or cat?
Exclusion fencing is the best way to prevent them from harming or scaring native wildlife and to keep cats and dogs off the roads and out of wildlife areas. Dogs may be excluded from part of the yard to allow wildlife into your native shrubs and trees. Cats are best kept in cat runs to ensure they do not wander into wildlife protection areas, neighbouring properties or onto the road. If you do not have a cat run please ensure your cat is indoors from dusk to dawn. To further prevent cats from injuring native wildlife please make sure they wear a collar with bells.
Updated: 10 Feb 2012