COASTAL ENVIRONMENTAL WEEDS ON THE NSW FAR SOUTH COAST
Stuart B. Cameron. May 2008.
A report forming part of the ‘Supporting community-based coastal weed control on the Far South Coast’ project, a joint initiative of Bega Valley Shire Council, Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority, National Parks and Wildlife Division of Department of Environment and Climate Change, and Far South Coast Landcare Association.
Click for a larger view of the map. Large file.
Executive Summary
The problem of environmental weeds
Biological invasions now pose one of the most serious environmental threats to world ecosystems. Environmental weeds pose one of the gravest threats to native vegetation on the Far South Coast and to the amenity of coastal landscapes.
The great majority, about 80%, of coastal environmental weeds are escaped garden plants and are as yet confined to the periphery of the major settled zones. Accordingly environmental weeds are very unevenly distributed across the landscape, with few serious infestations occurring in the National Parks. Their massive impact in the longer settled areas of the coast demonstrates the magnitude of the potential long term threat to native coastal vegetation.
Dumping of garden waste is unquestionably the most efficient way to establish environmental weeds amongst native vegetation. The practice is very widespread locally, and unwittingly encouraged by Council waste disposal policies.
Government agencies have inadequate resources for environmental weed control and the problem is beyond the capacity of community volunteers.
The Far South Coast, compared with much of south-east Australia, is in an enviable situation in that many environmental weeds present locally are at an early stage of invasion. They can still be controlled fairly cheaply and readily.
Global warming and more intensive settlement are likely to accelerate weed invasion.
Some solutions
A profound change in attitudes, values and behaviour is essential if we are to maintain healthy landscapes in the long term.
Finding ways to guarantee continuity of attention, effort, funding and responsibility is the great challenge posed by the environmental weed problem.
It is essential that all major environmental weeds have a legal status that requires landowners to remove them from their properties. The exercise of personal responsibility in gardening practices by gardeners working in proximity to natural vegetation, both in their choice of plants and the means of disposal of garden refuse, will greatly reduce the likelihood of new weed species and new infestations emerging.
Controlling coastal weeds
Eden Local Aboriginal Land Council work crew members Terry Hayes, Laurence Bamblett and Ben Cruse, together with local botanist Stuart Cameron, tackle the coastal weed polygala at Eagles Claw in Eden this week.
Environmental weeds pose a major threat to our unique coastal vegetation on the Far South Coast, and degrade the wilderness coast we all enjoy, according to a report to be launched next week.
The report ‘Coastal Environmental Weeds on the NSW Far South Coast’ written by local botanist Stuart B Cameron, forms part of a project for supporting community-based coastal weed control.
This project is a joint initiative of the Bega Valley Shire Council, Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority, National Parks and Wildlife Division of Department of Environment and Climate Change, and Far South Coast Landcare Association, with funding provided by the Natural Heritage Trust.
Over the last 12 months Mr Cameron has surveyed the coastline of the Bega Valley Shire for coastal environmental weeds, with an emphasis on the settled areas of Bermagui, Tathra, Tura-Merimbula-Pambula Beach, and Eden.
His survey found that the greatest concentrations of environmental weeds on the Far South Coast are close to gardens, especially in the reserves around our coastal villages.
“It has been estimated that 70 per cent of the environmental weeds invading our native vegetation were initially garden plants, so this finding is not surprising,” Mr Cameron said.
“To tackle the weeds around our urban areas, work action plans have been developed to focus efforts on weeds that can be effectively controlled, and those that pose the most serious threat to our native vegetation.”
The survey results and action plans form the basis of Mr Cameron’s report.
“Another important part of the Coastal Weeds project is supporting the efforts of our local community groups who have been tackling coastal weeds for a number of year,” Mr Cameron said.
“Koori work crews will be tackling the priority weeds identified through the survey and will also help boost the efforts of our committed community groups and volunteers.”
A work crew from Eden Local Aboriginal Land Council has spent two weeks working in the Eden and Pambula Beach areas, and next week a crew from Merrimans Local Aboriginal Land Council will commence work in the Bermagui area.
The steering committee for the project will meet the Merrimans work crew to lend a hand tackling sea spurge at Beares Beach on Monday, June 23, where the report will also be launched.
Bega Valley Shire Council’s noxious weeds manager, Ann Herbert, said Mr Cameron’s work was vital to ensuring a co-ordinated approach to combating coastal weed threats.
“This report creates the platform for moving ahead,” she said.
