Combined effort to tackle coastal weeds infestations
July 16, 2007: The Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority with the support of the Bega Valley Shire Council is funding a project to map weeds infestations along the Sapphire Coast and is calling on community support.
Council’s Noxious Weeds Manager Ann Herbert said the project’s aim was to develop a Coastal Weeds Action Plan.
“The project aims to maintain the motivation of community groups that are controlling environmental coastal weeds within the coastal zone of Bega Valley Shire by supporting them to develop priority actions and to co-ordinate control activities throughout the region,” Ms Herbert said.
“The Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority, Council, Far South Coast Landcare Association and Department of Environment and Climate Change (National Parks and Wildlife Service) are all supporting this project.
“The Sapphire Coast attracts many visitors to the region with tourism being important to the economy and amenity of our region and the leading local industry.
“Much of the coastal land in the Bega Valley shire is designated as reserves – National Parks, Council reserves, Crown Land and recreation areas - and cannot be modified by clearing or intensive development. These are the areas that have great tourist attraction.”
Ms Herbert said reserved lands were not immune to degradation by weed invasion, however the region had been spared massive environmental weed invasion in the coastal zone.
“However to the north there are extensive bitou bush and lantana infestations in some areas,” Ms Herbert said.
“The Far South Coast has a window of opportunity to control and in some cases eradicate environmental weeds in the coastal zone. It is vital to use this opportunity since climate change is very likely to advantage weeds.
“Excellent efforts are being made by local volunteer groups and responsible agencies to control environmental weeds but often their activities are sometimes not well co-ordinated, nor are they informed by a clear overview of the pattern of weed infestations.”
Ms Herbert said the project would involve:
- Preparation of a situation report mapping current infestations and priority areas
- Support for the community to develop weed control action plans tailored to their area via a series of facilitated meetings in Bermagui, Tathra, Merimbula/Pambula and Eden later this year
- Additional support for existing community groups’ efforts and motivation by providing work group support (i.e. Conservation Volunteers Australia) to tackle high priority areas
- Co-ordinating existing agency control measures
Check out this arid land recovery website to see what can be accomplished with a degraded landscape.
“A project officer, Stuart Cameron from Bermagui, has been appointed to coordinate the program,” Ms Herbert said.
“Mr Cameron is a botanist who has lived in the Bermagui area since 1980. During the next few months he will undertake a weed survey of Council’s coastal areas, paying particular attention to the environs of coastal settlements and will consult with and report his findings back to the local communities.
“Mr Cameron is convinced that informed and committed residents and visitors make an immensely valuable contribution to the effort to prevent the degradation of our landscapes by weeds.
‘The great American ecologist Aldo Leopold once complained that ‘there is, as yet, no sense of pride in the husbandry of wild plants and animals, no sense of shame in the proprietorship of a sick landscape’.
“There are very encouraging signs that this is not an observation that holds for a good many of us living in this region. We are coming to accept that we must take responsibility for ‘gardening’ the entire landscape.”
People requiring more information can contact Ann Herbert on 6499 2288.
