Invasive species

Local residents should remain on the lookout for fire ants following the discovery of two nests at Meringandan West. This discovery comes just weeks after 80 fire ant nests were found at the Oakey Army Aviation Centre.

Communities across the Northern Rivers are being urged to be on the lookout for Red Imported Fire Ants after a new nest was found at South Murwillumbah last Thursday only metres from a nest that was destroyed in November 2023. Red Imported Fire Ants, one of the worst invasive species ever to enter Australia, were first detected in southeast Queensland in February 2001...

The man who developed ANTagonistPRO rapid response large-area treatment, David Priddy, says he is perplexed that used and proven Australian solutions, formulated for Australian conditions, have been largely overlooked to date within the National Fire Ant Eradication programme in favour of slower imported solutions ... David Priddy speaks to Australian Rural & Regional News.

A campaigner and hands-on combatant of buffel for a quarter century, Alex Nelson, says the government’s initiative about the imported grass taking over much of The Centre is a time wasting exercise. “There is no reason for not declaring it a noxious weed. They have all the information they need. This is kicking the problem down the road.”

Libbe Paton. The North East Wild Dog Action Group has been petitioning for wild dog control and 3km Livestock Protection Buffer (LPB) to continue as is. The opposing argument by pro-dingo activists is debatable, with many believing the dingo is native to Australia and questions are being raised. What is a dingo? What is a wild dog? What is a hybrid dog?

Buffel and gamba grass are highly flammable and increase the intensity and frequency of bushfires and impact the biodiversity of the natural environment ... The TWG provided its findings, which recommend a Weed Advisory Committee be formed to build on the findings and develop a management plan, with the view of declaring buffel grass a weed.

Farmers are calling for more resources to tackle pigs as millions of the pests rampage across the state. NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said the state’s pig problem was out of control, with official estimates suggesting there could be up to 100 million feral pigs in Australia at present.

The time for talking is over! Immediate, large-scale, effective action is what’s required if we’re to have any hope of halting the march of Red Imported Fire Ants, CANEGROWERS Chairman Owen Menkens has said.

The discovery of fire ants near Oakey has set off alarm bells across the eastern Darling Downs with authorities taking action to treat and maintain monitoring of the activity. A member of the public reported the nests on Tuesday 16 April, with initial surveillance and treatment conducted by the program the next day.

“The frightening thing is that if fire ants get up above the Great Dividing Range, it could potentially get into the Murray Darling Basin and that could effectively see the fire ants go right down to Adelaide. It would impact the whole country and have devastating consequences. Labor now needs to urgently respond to the inquiry and eradication must continue to be the focus”: David Littleproud.

The green that surrounds you is buffel, as far as the eye can see, a malicious plant predator that has overwhelmed much of The Centre, and is continuing its relentless advance. Renowned Central Australian botanist Peter Latz, who has studied the introduced plant for decades, likens the magnitude of impact on the country of buffel with the megafauna’s extinction.

Forage oat growers should be vigilant for the troublesome pest fall armyworm (FAW) as several infestations have been spotted on the Darling Downs.

The Territory Labor Government has determined the next step to reduce the impact of buffel grass in Central Australia. The Buffel Grass Technical Working Group (TWG) was formed in 2023 to address environmental concerns around buffel grass, which makes wildfires more intense and impacts biodiversity.

Alex Vaughan. Why is Central Australia almost the only region nationally at an increased wildfire risk across autumn? The National Council for Fire and Emergency Services unequivocally links this risk to buffel grass invasion and buffel grass regrowth  and curing, enabling fire conditions to overcome the longstanding norm for fire regimes across arid and semi-arid lands where “wildfire frequency is typically once a decade”.

Member for Murray Helen Dalton says carp are a threat to the Murray Darling Basin that has been ignored by the NSW Government ... “This week's release of the government's Alternatives to Buybacks Plan completely ignores one of the greatest environmental threats to our river systems - invasive and destructive Carp,” Mrs Dalton said.

Troublesome tumble weeds known by many as “hairy panic” are once again piling up on houses and piling up on roads and properties near Narrandera. Hairy panic is generally used to refer to about seven species of weed, all of which are in the Panicum genus, which produce spherical seed heads that roll with the wind.

Fall armyworm (FAW) are being detected at unprecedented levels in sorghum crops across Central Queensland, the Western and Darling Downs and northern New South Wales causing what experts predict could be the most significant impact on sorghum since the pest’s arrival in Australia in 2020.

What happens when a bush concert is facing cancellation, and how can Easter Bilby help? That’s the storyline in ‘Banjo Frog’s Concert Spectacular’, a new children’s book released by Foundation for Rabbit-Free Australia in conjunction with Wakefield Press.

Farmers are fighting a “slow-moving bushfire” as invasive weeds such as African lovegrass and serrated tussock explode following a wet summer. NSW Farmers Cooma branch chair Craig Mitchell said the state’s struggle with weeds had reached a tipping point, with some public and private land managers failing to meet their responsibilities.

The NSW Government’s feral pig control program has culled 33,277 feral pigs in just 4 months, making it one of the largest feral pig programs in the nation’s history. Already 2,035 property owners have participated in the Government’s $13 million Feral Pig Program, working with Local Land Services to target pest populations.

One of the most invasive Australian weeds is being touted as a potential economic crop, with benefits for the construction, mining and forestry industries, and potentially many First Nations communities. The prickly paddy melon weed, which costs the agricultural industry around $100 million a year in lost grain yields, cattle deaths, and control measures, could turn into an unlikely money spinner...

Roaring helicopters armed with military grade thermal imaging and semi-automatic shotguns aim to destroy any deer in their path ... Sometimes people on the ground fear for their lives and the welfare of their livestock ... "Someone is going to get shot," several feared.