The spread of cane toads in Australia

http://monsoon-frog.blogspot.com/2008/05/cane-toads-advance.html

Since the introduction of the cane toad to Australia in 1935, it has spread and colonised a vast area, crossing state borders via land and water. Being an adaptable species, it seems that temperature, food, and environmental differences have not stood in their way.

The cane toad has been listed as a Key Threatening Process under the Australian Government’s Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. With research and audits being undertaken since this time, it has been reported that the "estimated rates of [cane toad] expansion vary from between 1–5 km per year in northern New South Wales to approximately 30 km per year in north western Queensland, and over 30 km per year in Kakadu National Park."

In 2009 the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts approved a ‘Threat Abatement Plan’, which will develop a nationally consistent approach in coordinating cane toad management and research to protect Australia's biodiversity and natural assets.

See: http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/ktp/cane-toads.html

The future of the cane toad in Australia is hard to predict. There is no doubt that the spread across the north of Australia is unavoidable, no matter how many tactics are tried and tested. It seems that the best action is to limit their movements by methods such as exclusion fencing, and ensuring that they are contained. But this is a massive job, and it is likely to take years and a lot of money before we see any drastic evidence of success. See our other posts about population control.