Flying fox conservation laws, policies and practices in Australia - a case study in conserving unpopular species

The laws, policies and practices relevant to the conservation and management of Australian flying foxes have traditionally been influenced by negative community attitudes towards these animals. This article examines how such attitudes and the political decisions they engender have contributed to tardiness in listing or the failure to list species subject to threats and to the failure of conservation agencies to enforce the law and implement recovery programs. It argues that in turn these factors have contributed to the reinforcement of intolerance of the species in the community. The article concludes that the conservation framework for the four main species of Australian flying foxes has substantially improved in the past two decades and that there is no need for radical conservation law reform. It suggests policies and principles to improve the conservation and management of unpopular species in Australia and elsewhere, including sounder and more transparent administration of the law, stricter enforcement, public education and a focus on protecting functioning ecosystems