Kosciuszko National Park wild horse numbers swell, the campaign to protect them could be a byelection issue

The state issue of whether or not to cull wild horses in the Kosciuszko National Park may become a federal one, with the Eden-Monaro byelection looming and the electorate straddling the northern end of the park.

Controversy has surrounded the proposed removal of 4000 wild horses in the northern sections of the park and wilderness on the NSW and ACT side of the border.

Supporters of the program have held sway, although no action has been taken while the COVID-19 restrictions have been in place.

In early May the Federal Court gave the green light to a winter cull on the Victorian side of the border until Omeo-based cattleman Phil Maguire forced an injunction.

That case is due to be reconvened in the Victorian court on Tuesday.

Although the odds are stacked against Mr Maguire and the Australian Brumby Alliance which supports him, the group is vowing to push its fight to the High Court.

These horses - officially 100 in number but reputed to be many more - are but a fraction of the issue. They roam the Bogong High Plains and are part of the Parks Victoria culling plan.

Thousands more roam the park to its north, in the west of the federal Eden-Monaro electorate where a byelection is scheduled for July 4.

However, should the Victorian campaign be lost by the alliance, the stakes will be raised and the fight is certain to go national.

Meanwhile, the horse population in the northern end of the park is growing exponentially and the destruction caused to fragile alpine bogs, some of which are vital to the health and vitality of the ACT water supply, is increasing.

In February, the NSW department of environment said that it had "prioritised for control" three areas of the Kosciuszko National Park: the Nungar Plain, Cooleman Plain and parts of Boggy and Kiandra Plains, around 57,000 hectares in total and all located in the north of the park.

It estimated the wild horse population in those areas to be around 19,000.

In 2018-2019, the park's horse "removal" program stalled completely. In 2019-2020, just 99 horses were removed, mostly from the Blue Waterholes area after they were on the roadway and some struck by vehicles, and caused repeated issues in the public campground.

Environmental damage wrought by the horses has increased significantly since the summer bushfires swept through parts of the park and the horses' potential grazing area diminished.

Andrew Cox, the chief executive officer of the Invasive Species Council which supports a euthanisation program, is frustrated by the delays in getting the 2020-2021 program underway and has called on the Eden-Monaro candidates to declare their position.

He said that the ability of the horses to roam long distances in search of feed after the bushfires, including into the top of the ACT water catchment area, make this issue a federal one.

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"Feral horse impacts on water quality at the source of three iconic rivers - the Snowy, Murray and Murrumbidgee - makes it an important national issue for any potential new federal member," he said.

Muddying the issue now are the NSW Nationals, who support the grazing of cattle in national parks as a fire mitigation issue.