A study spearheaded by Curtin University reveals that toxic creatures could potentially invade up to 75% of the Pilbara region, putting 25 native species at risk in this critical biodiversity area.

Among the native species under threat are several marsupial predators, including northern quolls, ghost bats, and kalutas, along with frog-eating snakes, blue-tongue skinks, and goannas.

Lead researcher Dr. Judy Dunlop warns that once these toads establish themselves in the Pilbara, removing them would be “virtually impossible” and could incur costs running into the “billions.”

Nevertheless, Dr. Chris Jolly from Charles Darwin University suggests that a strategy focusing on containment is still a viable option.

The spread of cane toads relies heavily on their need for access to freshwater during their migration.

The pests have populated the Northern Territory in the last two decades.

“It is what we have learnt from toads in the NT that has provided the crucial information to inform the potential impacts of toads if they were to make it into the Pilbara, as well as understanding how and when they might get there,” Jolly said.

The Northern Territory had naturally occurring containment zones using seawater, with coastal locations such as Groote Eylandt and the Tiwi Islands acting as refuges for wildlife like northern quolls.

Currently, the toads are approaching a naturally dry region where the Great Sandy Desert meets the ocean as they approach Western Australia.

There, the only water sources are man-made cattle watering points.

Upgrading these water sources from open dams to concrete tanks and troughs designed to be inaccessible to the toads would remove the “stepping stones” used by the toads to cross the arid zone.

”This targeted intervention could halt their advance into the Pilbara, protecting its unique biodiversity and reducing the risk of catastrophic declines in native species such as northern quolls, ghost bats, goannas, and blue-tongue skinks,” Dunlop said.

Dunlop said it was always preferable to prevent an environmental hazard before it occurs.

“The investment required for containment is modest compared to the astronomical costs and low feasibility of eradication.”

The report authors suggest a similar strategy could also be used in the Northern Territory’s arid zones, reducing their numbers during the dry season.

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