Damage to the Gardens

Fern Gully is a rainforest haven covering approximately 5% of the Melbourne Botanic Gardens (see map). It contains a rich variety of plant life, approximately half of which are native to Australia. The rainforest is a popular tourist attraction due to its lush surrounds and century old Heritage Listed trees.

However, far from being appreciated for its natural beauty, Fern Gully is portrayed by the Gardens management as an area threatened with destruction. At every entrance, large signs (such as the one below) warn visitors that flying foxes are causing the greatest ecological crisis in the history of the Gardens. In an unjustified and disturbing campaign, flying foxes are vilified to the extreme. The campaign is so biased and deceptive that most visitors are convinced the bats need to be destroyed in order to "save" the entire gardens.

We believe that information provided to visitors and the media is extremely misleading and deceptive. For example there is no evidence of substantial damage to any Heritage Listed trees, and effect on the non-listed trees has been grossly exagurated. Furthermore, despite numerous claims of destruction, no information is provided on the specific damage that has been caused to trees, and whether this damage is permanent, repairable or temporary.

A walk through the Gardens shows that most visitors are undisturbed by the bats (as shown from this picnic spot overlooking Fern Gully). The overall view of Fern Gully is one of lush, green vegetation. Gwen Parry-Jones and Kathy Davis have visited the Gardens to assess the of level of damage. They state that

"The overall tree damage in Fern Gully is minor, with almost every tree expected to recover once the majority of flying foxes visiting the Gardens return north for winter". From their extensive search of Fern Gully, Gwen and Kathy located just 6 trees which showed signs of heavy defoliation. Lawrence Pope of the Humane Society states that "trees threatened by the bat population were no more than half a dozen imported trees, which are within 20 years of the end of their lifespan". It is impotant to note that none of these trees have been "destroyed" as claimed by the MBG in media reports.

Gwen Parry-Jones states "Nowhere has each tree been examined by experts and the results disclosed, advising if the species is deciduous, whether indigenous to Australia, its age and estimated length of its life, what damage has been done and whether the damage is permanent, repairable or temporary and whether it was done by Flying-foxes.... Also, whether the tree is naturally deteriorating because of disease and predation. I have been informed that the Elm Tree Beetle has had a significant effect on the Elm Trees. None of the trees are certified Heritage or Significant trees. This information was requested by the pro-bat scientists at the famous Jan 24th Meeting, but has not been forthcoming."

We believe much of the damage to trees in Fern Gully has not been caused by flying-foxes alone. As we outline in our solutions section, much of the responsibility for damage lies with the Gardens management fo failing to mitigate the damage to individual trees. In a letter to BATLINE, Maggie Allmand (25th April) writes: "I am a regular visitor to the RBG Melb. and have been jogging at dawn around the perimeter since the bats first appeared around 1982. The area known as Fern Gully has been totally neglected in recent years with the intention of highlighting the so-called destruction caused by the GHFF. In contrast, the Sydney Botanic Gardens manage their trees through regular pruning and fertilising. Given that most of the trees in Fern Gully are not growing in their natural habitat, they need more care, not less, than specimens in the Botanic Gardens of Sydney and Brisbane where there are also GHFF colonies. Healthy trees can withstand more stress than damaged and neglected trees. I have received no reply from Gardens' management as to why they allow creepers to grow over several deciduous trees and Moreton Bay Figs in the Gully and why the understorey is clogged with bark and branches from nearby eucalypts...not at all like a tropical habitat"

We argue that a balanced education programme is needed by the Gardens to promote some of the useful services flying-foxes provide to forests. For example, flying foxes play an important role in pollination and seed dispersal inside and outside the Gardens. We also believe that opening up the tree canopy in patches is beneficial to forests, as it allows light to penetrate down to the understorey whichs promotes germination and new growth. Flying foxes can also capable of bringing back seed from a 50km or more radius around the colony site, thus increasing the biodiversity of the plant species found in the understorey.

Example of contrasting signage in the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens. April 2001

Look up into the trees and you'll see Grey-headed Flying-foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus) hanging upside down from the branches with their leathery wings wrapped around their bodies. Also called the Grey-headed Fruit Bat, the Grey-headed Flying-fox is a native Australian bat. The bats settled in the Gardens many years ago, probably because much of their natural habitat along the coast of New South Wales has been cleared for timber, agriculture and urban development. At night the bats feed on the fruits of rainforest trees, especially figs, and the nectar and pollen of eucalypts and melaleucas. The Grey-headed Flying-fox is particularly important because it is one of the few species that pollinates the flowers and spreads the seeds of these rainforest species.

Named because of its fox-like face, the Grey-headed Flying-fox is one of the largest species of bats in the world, weighing up to 1 kilogram with a wingspan of up to 1.5 metres.

Based on the observations of Gwen and Kathy, we argue that MBG has deliberately misinformed the public about the damage flying-foxes have caused to trees in Fern Gully, as well as the threat they pose to the Gardens in general. There are many sound and effective management options that could be adopted by the MBG to preserve the future well being of both trees and bats in the Gardens. These are outlined in our solutions section.