The Australian Government has released a draft national strategy to reduce the impact of European red foxes on native wildlife, proposing the first major revision of its fox management approach since 2008.
Released for public consultation in September 2026, the proposed Threat Abatement Plan outlines nine objectives and 67 actions covering fox control, threatened species recovery, research and monitoring. The revision follows a review of the previous plan which found that its overarching conservation goal had not been achieved, despite years of fox management programs across mainland Australia.
Introduced during the nineteenth century, European red foxes have contributed to the decline and extinction of numerous native species, particularly small and medium sized mammals. Although foxes have never established a population in Tasmania, preventing their introduction remains an important biosecurity priority.
The Impact of Foxes on Australian Wildlife
European red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are established across much of mainland Australia, from forests and agricultural landscapes to coastal areas and urban fringes. Their ability to exploit different habitats and food sources has made them particularly difficult to manage.
Small and medium sized mammals have suffered some of the greatest impacts. Fox predation has contributed to the decline of species such as the greater bilby, brush tailed bettong and several native rodents, with some populations disappearing from large parts of their former ranges. Ground dwelling birds and reptiles are also vulnerable, particularly where foxes prey on eggs, young animals or adults nesting and foraging on the ground. These impacts extend to species that are not formally listed as threatened, while habitat loss and other pressures can make affected populations even more vulnerable.
Fox control programs have helped protect native wildlife in particular locations, although reducing predator numbers does not always lead to population recovery. Some species may require additional conservation measures, especially where their populations have become severely depleted.
What the New Strategy Proposes
The draft Threat Abatement Plan places greater emphasis on whether fox management is delivering measurable improvements for native wildlife. Rather than assessing control programs primarily by the number of foxes removed, the proposed approach calls for closer monitoring of threatened species populations and better identification of areas where management is most urgently needed.
This includes using research and monitoring results to assess whether existing control methods are working and to guide changes where necessary. Reducing fox numbers alone may not be enough to restore threatened populations, particularly where habitat loss, feral cats, changing fire regimes and other pressures continue to affect their survival. In some areas, recovery efforts will require several threats to be managed together.
The plan also proposes greater coordination between Commonwealth, state and territory governments, conservation organisations, researchers and land managers. This is particularly important where fox control programs operate across property boundaries or where different agencies are responsible for managing neighbouring areas.
Preventing foxes from establishing in areas where they are currently absent remains another priority, with surveillance and early detection forming part of the proposed national approach.
Protecting Wildlife Outside Fenced Sanctuaries
Predator free islands and fenced conservation reserves have become important refuges for some of Australia’s most threatened native animals. Removing foxes and preventing their return has allowed conservation programs to reintroduce species that have disappeared from much of their former range, particularly small and medium sized mammals. However, maintaining these protected areas requires ongoing surveillance, fence maintenance where applicable and rapid responses to predator incursions. Their limited size can also restrict the populations they support, making continued management essential.
Protecting wildlife outside these reserves presents a different challenge.
Foxes can move freely across property boundaries and recolonise areas where their numbers have been reduced, particularly when neighbouring land remains unmanaged. Control programs may need to continue across extensive areas for many years, with the effectiveness of individual efforts often depending on what happens on surrounding properties. This is particularly important for threatened species that rely on large or connected habitats, where isolated areas of protection may offer limited opportunities for population recovery.
The proposed Threat Abatement Plan includes measures to improve fox management across these wider landscapes, while retaining predator free refuges as an important part of threatened species conservation.
Funding and Long Term Management
The Australian Government’s supporting background document estimates that approximately $13 million is spent on fox management across Australia each year, divided roughly equally between government agencies and private landholders. It acknowledges that this level of investment is unlikely to be sufficient for effective control across larger areas and over longer periods.
The proposed 2026 Threat Abatement Plan does not establish a fixed budget for implementation. Instead, it assigns indicative costs to individual actions, with cost categories ranging from $50,000 to $5 million or more over five years. The plan estimates that implementing all proposed actions would require approximately $174.4 million over five years, equivalent to around $35 million annually. These figures indicate the scale of investment required, rather than funding already committed by government.
How the proposed actions would be funded remains an important question. Expanding fox control across larger areas would require substantial investment, particularly where programs need to continue for many years to protect threatened wildlife. Without reliable funding, conservation gains achieved through sustained predator management could be difficult to maintain.
A Contested History on Foxes in Tasmania
Tasmania has a complicated history with fox management, despite European red foxes never having established a breeding population in the state. Reports of suspected introductions between 1998 and 2001, followed by the discovery of several fox carcasses, prompted an extensive government response. The Tasmanian Fox Free Taskforce was established in 2001 and subsequently developed into the Fox Eradication Program in 2006.
Much of the controversy centred on DNA testing of suspected fox scats, which was used to support claims that foxes were widespread across parts of Tasmania. Researchers subsequently questioned the reliability of this evidence, raising concerns about possible sample contamination and the lack of confirmed sightings or specimens to substantiate claims of a widespread population. Although individual fox carcasses had been discovered, the available evidence did not establish that foxes were successfully breeding in the wild.
The Australian Government’s 2026 background document acknowledges that the evidence surrounding the reported incursions remains contentious and unresolved.
The risk posed by a successful introduction is nevertheless significant. Tasmania supports native wildlife populations that have not experienced the widespread fox predation seen on mainland Australia, and an established fox population could have serious consequences for native species and agricultural industries. Preventing that outcome remains an important biosecurity priority, requiring reliable detection methods and a rapid response to credible evidence of an incursion.
Public Consultation on the Proposed Fox Control Strategy
The Australian Government is accepting public submissions on the draft 2026 Threat Abatement Plan until 5 pm AEDT on 29 January 2027. The draft plan and its accompanying scientific background document are available for review.
Following consultation, the government will consider submissions before finalising the revised national plan. Its effectiveness will depend on the resources committed to implementing the proposed actions and whether those measures deliver lasting improvements for threatened wildlife.
Editorial Note: This article is based on the Australian Government’s draft Threat Abatement Plan for Predation by Red Fox 2026 and its accompanying scientific background document, published by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Information about Tasmania’s historical fox incursions and the disputed evidence surrounding them has been drawn from the government’s background document and its referenced scientific research. The proposed plan remains subject to public consultation and has not been finalised.
Cover Image by Harley Kingston / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0.
