Invasive species

“Sea spurge is now reappearing in NSW, this time in more regional and remote areas of NSW, and we suspect it’s spreading from Victorian and Tasmanian beaches .... A spraying program is underway, using a highly specific biocontrol agent of sea spurge, a fungus, which is native to France" : James Griffin, NSW Environment Minister.

Rockhampton Regional Council is being inundated with reports of Prickly Acacia and Parthenium spreading in the region, and they are calling on the community to assist. Planning and Regulation Councillor Grant Mathers said officers have been working closely with landholders and community stakeholders to establish the extent of the areas of concern, and to treat areas on a priority basis.

This month a lot of cane toads are going to die. That is the purpose of the big Australian cane toad bust happening from January 24-30. Communities across Australia are joining in as organised groups or individually.

Recent catastrophic bushfires and reports of threats to species have highlighted concerns about the management of Australia’s forests. Most prominently, there are increasing concerns that forest management is failing to ensure forest health, build ecosystem resilience and protect threatened species. These concerns are real, but the key drivers are not well understood. A body of opinion and media coverage often presents timber harvesting as the primary threat to forest ecosystems and suggests that creating more national parks will protect threatened species and habitats and reduce the risk of severe bushfires. Yet the situation is far more complex.

New technology developed by the University of South Australia may put an end to predatory cat behaviours in native environments and help control Australia’s feral felines. sing polymer chemistry principles, researchers at UniSA’s Applied Chemistry and Translational Biomaterials Group have created novel Population Protecting Implants (PPIs) to provide a targeted method for controlling invasive and problem feral cats.

Turtle monitoring around Rio Tinto’s Amrun mine has shown the unusual benefit of a mining company that improves the environment around it. Before the Amrun mine was constructed, turtle hatchings were rare in that part of the Cape, mostly because feral pigs predated nests.

Andy Marson and Craig Faulkner are at a property at Bungawalbin searching out feral pigs. They use sweetcorn and molasses to lure the pigs out. “It’s like chocolate for us,” Craig said. As consultants working for ReconEco, an environment consultancy firm based in Lismore, the men are working with the Envite team at Jimmy Malecki’s place, as part of a post-bushfire program to restore the land.

Australia is in the grip of an unprecedented alien attack on its native wildlife and environment, with experts warning more of our unique flora and fauna is in danger of disappearing by 2050 unless urgent action is taken.  

A high-tech underwater drone is helping protect Territory fish and marine life from harmful aquatic pests. The cutting-edge remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) takes monitoring to the next level, reducing the need for divers and providing a mobile camera capable of scanning large areas in limited time.

The fire engine red of the coral tree is unmissable at the moment. They are everywhere and are particularly virulent outside Lismore on the Bruxner Highway and along the Richmond River at Coraki and Woodburn. The scarlet flower reflects its bloom into the still river waters and if it wasn’t such an invasive weed, it would be a pretty sight.

Lea Mead. The Cactus Warriors invite you to join us on Sunday 31 October at 10.30am along Mount Back Road where we will be assisting Parks Victoria to remove Wheel Cactus plants from our sensational Maldon Historic Reserve. We’ll be armed with digging hoes and buckets and will concentrate on digging up small wheel cactus plants in an area along Mount Back Road.

Have you heard of Chilean Needle Grass? It’s a perennial tussock-forming grass and is one of 32 declared Weeds of National Significance (WoNS) in Australia. It’s commonly mistaken for native spear grass, but has potentially disastrous economic and environmental impacts.

Another successful haul from the Scenic Rim Carp Cup in September at the II Bogan Lagoon near Beaudesert has supported Council's efforts to protect the biodiversity and health of local waterways by targeting two invasive fish species, the Carp and Tilapia. In November, the long-established Scenic Rim environmental group, the Logan and Albert Fish Management Association, is hosting a similar family-friendly education-focused event, called the 'Carp & Tilapia Eradication Competition' at Wyaralong Dam.

Effective management of feral animals can play a part in achieving net zero emissions in Australia by 2050, according to Andreas Glanznig, CEO of the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions ... Mr Glanznig cited Centre analysis which has previously found that controlling rabbits, feral goats and camels at scale has the potential to make a significant contribution to emission reduction targets: by reducing the impact of feral herbivores on native vegetation, our native grasses, shrubs and young trees enabling them to act as a more effective carbon sink.

Local Land Services has joined forces with landholders on the North Coast and is achieving phenomenal results in the fight against cane toads. Recent cane toad control efforts in northern NSW have resulted in the control of over 10,000 adult and juvenile toads on 62 private properties affected by this invasive pest species.

In a first for the Southern Hemisphere, researchers have shown a bacteria can successfully sterilise and eradicate the invasive, disease carrying  Aedes aegypti  mosquito which is responsible for spreading dengue, yellow fever and Zika.    The breakthrough could support the suppression and potential eradication of Aedes aegypti worldwide.

Chris Murray. From the mid-1920s until 1941, when the palm seed exports collapsed during World War II, ratting was no recreational pastime, but an obligation for all Islanders who received income from palm seed sales via the Island Board’s shareholding system (and that included all Island men, women and children) ... Mary Marlowe takes up the story of a typical rat hunt in some detail ... The dogs, all three of them, were quivering at the rumps and lifting their forepaws from the ground in anticipation of jumping for the rat the instant it should appear out of the banyan log ...

Lockyer Valley Regional Council is urging landholders to remain vigilant for Fireweed. Lockyer Valley Environment Portfolio Councillor Michael Hagan said the invasive weed has the potential to severely impact agriculture in the region if it's not removed from pastures.

Rocky the conservation dog will be sniffing out fox dens this month as part of an expanded Coastal Fox Control Program. Rocky and his handler Tom Garrett  will survey coastal areas south of the Maroochy River to detect fox dens between September 10 and September 27, 2021. Previously Rocky worked in areas north of the Maroochy River.

Ten confirmed sightings of deer in the Tweed and 2 in the Kyogle region have been recorded since the Northern Rivers Feral Deer Alert program was launched in May.

Locals are being urged to share any information with the Limestone Coast Landscape Board about how almost a dozen feral pigs came to be roaming in the region. Investigation by the board indicated the pigs were likely to have been illegally released in the Reedy Creek area south-east of Kingston.

Harrisia Cactus, an invasive cactus species, has been confirmed by the Queensland Herbarium as being present in the Glan Devon district of Nanango. Council’s Pest Management contractors made the discovery during routine weed surveillance on a property recently.