Issue 10, JUNE 2016 southerngulf.com.au
A newsletter from Southern Gulf NRM. LEADERS IN NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
THIS QUARTER: 3
Rodeo Partnership, New Website, Stakeholder Survey
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Ghost Bat profile
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Weeds Innovation Field Day
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Inverleigh vs Prickly Acacia
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War on Western Weeds Update
10 Weed ID Booklet, Chemical Workshops, Outback Trash Packs
Photo by Carpentaria Land Council
WHO are we? Southern Gulf NRM is the region’s only community-based organisation that has the sole purpose of working with all land managers to address natural resource issues at the landscape level - building collaboration, gathering and sharing information and brokering funding for on-ground work.
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CHAIR’S update After conducting a national search for a new CEO, the Southern Gulf NRM Board has appointed Mr Andrew Maclean who was previously acting as our Interim CEO. Andrew, in the short time he has been with us has become familiar with the challenges our region faces, whilst ensuring the delivery of high quality and effective programs to our communities. The Board looks forward to continuing to work with Andrew as he continues in the role as CEO for Southern Gulf NRM. On 26 May, we held a Special General Meeting at our office. The goal of this meeting was to appoint our Standing Independent Selection Committee (SISP) members. I am happy to announce
that Mr Paul Woodhouse was elected as Chair of the SISP and that Cr Belinda Murphy was elected as general member of the SISP along with Cr Craig Young. I am grateful for the willingness of these community leaders to step forward to undertake this very important task in support of Southern Gulf NRM. The role of the SISP is to undertake a process to recruit a skills based board as per the guidelines of the Southern Gulf NRM constitution. The motion to move to a skills based board was voted in at the AGM in November 2016. I anticipate that the new board will be operational by the end of July in the new financial year. In March, I had the pleasure of attending Parliament House in Canberra as a representative of Southern Gulf NRM at a forum titled Modernising the Outback. This forum was put together by the Pew Charitable Trust and the Rangelands NRM Alliance. Southern Gulf NRM is one of 14 regional NRM groups that form the Rangelands NRM Alliance. The forum was held to instigate changes in order to raise the profile of the outback. Forum participants believe that the unique identity of the outback must be recognised as a basis for policies that can be successfully implemented across the outback.
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The forum was attended by about 70 delegates. It was opened by Minister for Regions, Senator Fiona Nash who was joined by local Member for Grey Rowan Ramsay (Liberal) and other outback MPs, Warren Snowdon (Labor), Mark Coulton (Nationals) and Rachel Siewert (Greens) in a panel discussion. Speakers at the forum covered a range of issues such as rangelands policy which was spoken about by Fred Chaney and Tom Calma, followed by panels considering a Healthy Country (Natural Resources), Political Insight and Healthy Communities. The Rangelands NRM Alliance will continue to keep natural resources management issues at the forefront. Southern Gulf NRM will provide input into this process as it is developed and we, as a regional community NRM group, are well placed to do this given our unique and desirable location within Outback Queensland. We will continue to provide updates to our community as this develops and progresses. As I write this update, the Federal election approaches. While all the major parties are making significant policy and funding commitments in support of the Great Barrier Reef, and to respond to the risks of climate change, none of them seem to have much to say about the bread and butter issues that are of concern to regional NRM groups and their stakeholders across Australia. If you go to the party websites and search for terms like sustainable agriculture, rangelands, threatened species, rivers, coasts and wetlands or natural resource management, you will find that the parties have little to say. We clearly need to increase our efforts at the regional, State and National scale to ensure that governments do not neglect support for the important NRM issues which affect regional Australia. The role Southern Gulf has to play in assisting our regional communities with support for NRM is vital. Our aim is to ensure we can continue to do this long term. However without the support of regional, State and National governments, it makes achieving good long term Natural Resource Management outcomes quite challenging for regional communities. Despite this, I have to say that although the difficult seasonal conditions and the everyday challenges of living in regional Queensland keep us all very busy, the positive outlook of our regional communities continues to inspire the team here at Southern Gulf NRM. As Southern Gulf NRM continues to encounter its own set of challenges such as changing investment priorities and changing outcomes from our investors, we will commit to working hard to ensure that we aim to protect the long term viability of the organisation. Under the ever-changing processes, which lead to further funding insecurity, we at Southern Gulf NRM will strive to ensure that our regional community NRM group will navigate a path that will ensure the continued delivery of regionally critical and important NRM outcomes to our communities. Megan Munchenberg Chairperson
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CEO’S message I’m delighted to have the opportunity to continue on at Southern Gulf NRM as Chief Executive Officer and thank the Board for its confidence. In the few months I have worked in the acting role, I’ve come to learn a little about the Southern Gulf regional landscape and its communities and everything I’ve learnt encourages me to be optimistic about the region and its future. I’m also impressed by Southern Gulf NRM’s team of staff, all of whom work hard every day for the good of their region. A project milestone that gave me great satisfaction is that the Australian Government has approved the draft Southern Gulf Regional NRM plan. An earlier draft of the plan was presented to members at the 2015 Annual General Meeting. Since then, responding to feedback from members, stakeholders and experts, we have substantially rewritten the document to ensure it meets the needs of the region. The plan is built around four key themes that embody the core ideas of natural resource management in the Southern Gulf region: • • • •
Building strong NRM communities Growing regional prosperity Securing landscape resilience Sustaining our natural and cultural environment
Subject to a few final checks, we intend to formally publish the plan by the end of June. I was very pleased to have the chance to meet with the North West Regional Organisation of Councils (NWROC), at Richmond in late April. The meeting was an opportunity for me to brief all North West Region Mayors about our current priorities and issues. I observed that local government is a vitally important NRM partner, especially in relation to pest and weed control, but that we should look to broaden and deepen our partnerships. Thanks to Richmond Mayor and Chair of NWROC, Cr John Wharton, for the invitation to this meeting. Another very positive meeting was at Normanton in early May when Charles Curry and I had the opportunity to meet the Board of the Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (CLCAC). The CLCAC represent Traditional Owner groups with interests in the high conservation-value wetlands that line the southern Gulf coast. These communities are very important stakeholders for Southern Gulf NRM in its conservation management roles. CLCAC also supports Aboriginal Ranger teams that have a great track record over several years in pest and weed management, fire management, threatened species conservation and monitoring and recording. My conversation with the CLCAC Board was the first step down the road towards a major conservation management partnership in support of internationally important wetlands of the southern Gulf. Photo by Jorja Kuskopf
Other Southern Gulf projects are really starting to gain traction. Shari Rankin, our Sustainable Grazing/Rangelands Officer briefed the Pastoral Industry Advisory Group recently on our plan to focus our Sustainable Grazing project to focus on systematic monitoring of pasture condition, as a basis for continually improving management. Shari and GIS officer, Steve Cobbin, have also been busy supporting the roll-out of the Spatial Hub property mapping tool that equips producers to set up their own property maps and plans, using the latest satellite imagery and other data. Regional Landcare Officer, Pru Wharton has been making great progress in her work of equipping producers with critical NRM skills and knowledge. The regional Weed Control Innovation Field Day was a great success and more recently she has organised two well-attended workshops on safe chemical handling. As well as producing this newsletter, Communications Officer, Kate Glover has been working hard to complete our new website. I’m looking forward to the renewal of our website as a key source of valuable information about NRM in our region. Be sure also to like us on Facebook.
My firm belief is that natural resource management begins and ends with the people and communities of our region. That’s why I am so pleased to see the Southern Gulf NRM team working hard to ensure our regional community has the knowledge, information and resources to achieve sustainable NRM outcomes. Andrew Maclean Chief Executive Officer
My firm belief is that natural resource management begins and ends with the people and communities of our region.
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‘LOVE OF OUR LAND’ is
Isa Rodeo’s Mardi Gras theme “Love of Our Land” will be the theme of this year’s popular Mount Isa Mines Rotary Rodeo’s Friday night Mardi Gras, thanks to a partnership with the region’s natural resource management organisation, Southern Gulf NRM. Southern Gulf NRM Chief Executive Officer Mr Andrew Maclean said his organisation was excited to partner with the Rodeo and was looking forward to seeing how creative the community can be. “Natural resource management is about ‘caring for our country’, and in doing so, caring for ourselves and our culture,” according to Mr Maclean. “It’s about caring for the environment long-term to ensure we have sustainable and productive natural resources for the future,” he said. “Cattle, tourism and mining all depend on the natural resources of our region – let’s celebrate their importance in our region’s life. Preserving and protecting our region’s natural resources is very important to everyone who lives and works here. We thought “Love of Our Land” would be a meaningful theme for our community.” Natural resources include the air, soil, minerals, water, the landscape, and the plants and animals that live in it.
But importantly, the people and the communities of our region have a vital role in natural resource management systems. Mount Isa Mines Rotary Rodeo Manager Ms Natalie Flecker thanked Southern Gulf NRM for its support of the rodeo’s family favourite - the Mardi Gras. “We are looking forward to seeing how the local businesses, community organisations, schools and clubs who take part in the parade, will embrace the “Love of Our Land” theme. Our Mardi Gras is getting bigger each year and is an enduring favourite with our locals and visitors alike.” Please call the Mount Isa Mines Rotary Rodeo office on (07) 4743 2706 to register interest, or email admin@isarodeo. com.au. The Mardi Gras parade is staged Friday, August 12, just before the official opening, winding its way through the streets around Buchanan Park, home of the Isa Rodeo.
NEW RESPONSIVE WEBSITE
has launched On 26 November, 2015 at our AGM Southern Gulf Catchments Ltd changed its name to Southern Gulf NRM (SG NRM) to reflect more accurately what we do. Following on from this important
re-brand, we are excited to announce the launch of our new and improved website. Our team is still working on updating the site and we thank you for your continued patience.
View the new website at southerngulf.com.au
STAKEHOLDER survey
(or follow the QR code)
Help us shape our services to meet your needs. This survey is part of a review of the effectiveness of SG NRM’s stakeholder engagement, and is designed to provide feedback for us to improve our engagement and communication activities. The survey is a combination of ‘tick the box’ type questions and short written answers, and will take 15-20 minutes of your time. Your answers will be strictly confidential. Your participation is voluntary, and we would really appreciate your valuable insights in tackling this important issue. We hope you will seize this opportunity to influence SG NRM’s stakeholder engagement and communication activities.
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Complete our online survey. Two fitbits to be won! Visit our new website for more info.
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PROFILE: Ghost Bat With the recent listing of the Ghost Bat (Macroderma gigas) as Vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act), and with a small subpopulation occurring in the Southern Gulf region, SG NRM Sustainable Grazing and Rangelands Officer, Shari Rankin reached out to Ghost Bat research scientist Dr Kyle Armstrong of The University of Adelaide, and the South Australian Museum for comment. Dr Armstrong had the following to say. Australia has many remarkable mammals, and the Ghost Bat is certainly one of the most outstanding - not only because of its remarkable appearance, but also its carnivorous habit. Large ears, large eyes, a noseleaf around the nostrils to direct complex echolocation calls and large teeth are all adaptations to increase the hunting efficiency in darkness of this pocket-sized predator of small birds (if a spinifex pigeon can be called small), reptiles, mammals and large insects. The Ghost Bat is found only in Australia, although it has at least three close relatives in Asia and two in Africa that all eat insects, and it is the last of a lineage that was represented by several primordial Ghost Bat species in the rainforests of Australia’s Miocene 5-25 million years ago. The Ghost Bat was once distributed across the entire continent, with subfossil sites and historical sightings in the south-west of Western Australia, the Flinders Ranges of South Australia and parts of central Australia. Now it ranges across northern Australia from the Pilbara through the Kimberley and Top End to Cape York. Unfortunately, this unique species is vulnerable to disturbance at its roosts, even casual entry by people, and to large-scale changes of the native landscape that affect the availability of its prey. Its distribution began declining in the Holocene, and was accelerated with the arrival of Europeans. Genetic studies have shown that the apparently broad modern distribution of Ghost Bats actually comprises several isolated groups that do not exchange migrants because of broad intervening
distances and habitats not suitable for their occupation. These studies have also shown how females very seldom move from their cave of birth. This means breeding aggregations in caves are very important parts of each population - they are repositories of breeding individuals and unique genetic diversity, and outposts that are not rapidly recolonised following loss. The vulnerability of Ghost Bat breeding sites has been recognised for some time, and the gradual accumulation of scientific data and observation over the last two decades has highlighted continuing key threats to roosts and their unabated decline in many of the geographically isolated populations. As a result, the Ghost Bat was listed recently as Vulnerable under our national environmental legislation. Scientific research is ongoing, which includes the PhD study of Nicola Hanrahan (Western Sydney University), who is investigating their ‘acoustic ecology’. Her aim is better understand movements in the local landscape by studying social interactions within roosts using recordings of their social calls and behavioural and physiological observation. This is one valuable species that has the potential to disappear quietly and forever without careful management that is informed by scientific enquiry.
Dr Kyle N Armstrong University of Adelaide / South Australian Museum
Photo by Steve Parish
Australia has many remarkable mammals, and the Ghost Bat is certainly one of the most outstanding.
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NORTH WEST QUEENSLAND WEED CONTROL
innovation forum and field day North West innovators took centre stage at the Weed Control Innovation Forum and Field Day held in Richmond on 27th April. While weeds are a major problem in the region, the event showcased how community and industry innovation is helping to reduce weed impacts
and provide more effective and efficient weed control outcomes. The event, coordinated by Southern Gulf NRM and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, attracted over 80 participants from as far afield as Burketown, Barcaldine and Charters Towers. This included graziers, local government officers, and Indigenous rangers. The day began with a forum where a range of speakers provided project updates, weed control case studies and the latest in weed research. The highlights of the morning session included: • Overview of the priority weeds in our region and key features to identify them from Nathan Morgan (DAF). • Dr Wayne Vogler (Tropical Weeds Research Centre) gave some timely advice on how to ‘shut the gate on weeds’ to reduce seed spread as well as the latest information on biological control studies.
The event provided attendees with a unique opportunity to see control demonstrations firsthand and speak with inventors and scientists about new tools and improved approaches for weed management.
• Kevin Anderson and Billy Jackson from Carpentaria Land Aboriginal Council gave the crowd a presentation on how the rangers are controlling rubber vine, bellyache bush and parkinsonian in the gulf by using aerial and on-ground burning to on-ground weed control treatment on bellyache bush and neem trees.
• Nathan March (DAF) gave an update on the War on Western Weeds initiative and then with Robyn Young (Flinders Shire Council), spoke on the success of the Flinders Shire Good Neighbour Program as a new approach to reducing weed spread between properties. • Recent project achievements by Southern Gulf NRM were highlighted by Charles Curry. • David Phelps (DAF) was there to give the crowd advice on the latest research findings for managing Mitchell grass pastures. David also provided new information for graziers on how they can increase their Mitchell grass pastures in the future. Essential advice for both those in drought, as well as those watching their pastures regenerate after drought. The morning session was capped off by the launch of the ‘Priority weeds of the Southern Gulf Region’ guide by Pru Wharton. As informative as the morning session was, the crowd was transfixed by the hands-on demonstrations of the afternoon field program. First-off was a visit to a rubber vine infestation on the Flinders River where a splatter gun demonstration
WHAT THEY said... Ray Campbell was provided by the Tropical Weeds Research Centre team. Next the crowd saw the speed and effectiveness of Fox Helicopters undertaking aerial ignition for rubber vine burning. Moving on to a prickly acacia infestation site, participants witnessed an array of new control tools in action to increase the speed of tebuthiuron pellet application – including the Epple Skattergun, Cloncurry Mustering Company’s ‘Weed Sniper’, Harrington Systems Electronics’ NN Applicator and then a talk on Fox Helicopters’ strategic control including fence-line treatment. Some of the old ‘tried and true’ control methods were not forgotten with Ken Springall (Dow AgroSciences) and Nathan Morgan (DAF) taking us through the finer points of basal bark spraying, foliar spraying and soil applied herbicide options. Dr Wayne Vogler then showed how to get the best results from misting prickly acacia before Kevin Bawden took to his dozer and pushed a few trees as an example of one of the mechanical options. The event provided attendees with a unique opportunity to see control demonstrations firsthand and speak with inventors and scientists about new tools and improved approaches for weed management. Weed control in the region has long been a priority for Southern Gulf NRM and these new control tools and innovative approaches will improve not only the organisation’s project success, but potentially those of all land managers throughout the region.
GRAZIER, CAIRO STATION, MCKINLAY “I really enjoyed the day, there was some great information by the speakers at the forum, especially on the biological research, it is great to see progress being made. The aerial ignition of the rubber vine is a great initiative along with follow up spraying will be a big help in controlling this problem. The various methods of control and eradicating of prickly acacia as well as parkinsonia and mesquite are great to see. These methods I am sure will be of great use to landholders in there weed programmes. Everybody that I spoke with gained a lot of benefit from the day.”
David Fox FOX HELICOPTERS, RICHMOND
“Southern Gulf NRM has always been supportive of innovation in the field for weed control and this encourages more thinking on new methods to combat our ongoing weed problems. The recent field day in Richmond showcased these innovative ideas and their application in the working environment.”
Nathan March D E PA RT M E N T O F A G R I C U LT U R E AND FISHERIES “Local innovators have looked at local weed problems and developed local solutions – the result is a new toolbox of options for land managers and graziers to draw from application in the working environment.”
Ken Springall DOW AGROSCIENCES
“The forum & Field Day showcased the innovations & new techniques available to land managers continuing the battle against Prickly acacia. Innovations in herbicide application techniques and data relating to actual costs of control were a highlight of the day. Congratulations to the team from Southern Gulf NRM for holding an excellent event.” S O UTHE R NG UL F.CO M.AU
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SOUTHERN GULF NRM’S
prickly acacia weed management strategy Southern Gulf NRM’s approach to Prickly Acacia management follows a clear strategy that has been built on the best available science. The Southern Gulf strategy and indeed the conditions of our government funding have largely been based on the Weeds of National Significance PRICKLY ACACIA STRATEGIC PLAN 2012-2017 and on that strategic plan prior to 2012. That plan’s vision is - Prickly acacia is eradicated outside the core infestations in Queensland, and national impacts are reduced to a minimum. Southern Gulf’s prickly acacia threat abatement plan has three main goals:
Prickly acacia is prevented from spreading and strategic outlier infestations in the lower Gulf are controlled (lower Gulf plains, Nicholson-Gregory catchment)
Core infestations are contained through buffer zone implementation (upper McKinlay River catchment, mid Cloncurry-Flinders-Leichhardt catchments)
The impact of prickly acacia is reduced in the core infestation area (centred on Hughenden - Richmond - Julia Creek) through adaptive management.
When an agreement is signed between Southern Gulf and a property, the mutual aim is to reduce the impacts of prickly acacia to a level that is able to be managed by the landholder. Advice from Biosecurity Queensland and the War on Western Weeds project applies to all our prickly acacia projects: • Keep clean and almost clean paddocks clean • Concentrate on high yielding seed trees along bore drains, waterways and around water points • Work paddock by paddock rather than try to tackle the whole problem at once • Quarantine cattle moving from prickly acacia infested paddocks to clean paddocks
INVERLEIGH WINNING THE FIGHT against prickly acacia
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All properties in the lower Gulf sub-region, which for Southern Gulf’s purposes includes Kamilaroi and Lorraine north to the Gulf coast, are involved in the prickly acacia management program with the exception of only a handful of properties which manage any infestations on their own.
considerable amount of work ahead of them but from the examples of the properties approaching successful outcomes, the combination of perseverance, hard work, continuity and consistency of funding and in-kind contributions do bring rewards in the fight against prickly acacia.
Of the 20 lower Gulf properties involved, and many have been involved for up to 10-12 years, great achievements have been made on around 75% of them. Five or so still have a
There are a number of properties which could be showcased for their fight. Inverleigh has been selected largely because of the integration of techniques and the adaptive management
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practices employed since 2007. It is situated about 40 km southwest of Normanton along the Gulf coast and its area is 147,000 hectares. Prior to first funding in 2008, Inverleigh used their own resources to commence tackling prickly acacia in Goosey’s Paddock, then a huge 10,000 ha plus in the west of the property abutting Inverleigh West. Originally confined to Goosey’s Paddock, prickly acacia seed spread to other parts of the property unfortunately occurred so treatment has become widespread with a variety of techniques applied. The photos from 2008 show the nature of the infestation at that time. High rainfall wet seasons in 2009-10 and 2010-11 exacerbated the problem by causing an “explosion” in germination and density. Australian and Queensland government funding from 2008 through to 2016 has totalled around $227,000 and the property has made in-kind contributions of the order of $360,000. Contract basal bark spraying for the first 4-5 years focussed on Goosey’s where the inevitable regrowth kept on coming, then into paddocks north towards the coast. Station labour concentrated on scattered prickly acacia on sand ridges near the coast, on paddocks in the east of the property and around water points. The Normanton Land & Sea Ranger team have been treating prickly acacia on Inverleigh since 2011 through a very successful arrangement. In November 2014, this arrangement went further when Carpentaria Land Council (CLCAC) funds from Southern Gulf and the Qld Government’s NRM Investment program were channelled into the rangers managing the deployment of Cloncurry Mustering’s helicopter-mounted Weed Sniper. Over 50 hours, the Sniper with pin point accuracy targeted individual scattered prickly acacia with tebuthiuron pellets (Graslan®) over an area roughly 50,000 ha in paddocks west of L Creek south of the Savannah Way and paddocks northeast of the Savannah Way east of Goosey’s Paddock. Inspired by the success of the Weed Sniper, a further 20 hours of treatment followed in the south of the property in May 2015. In January 2016, 75 hours of Weed Sniper operation occurred mainly to complete the southern paddocks, 50 hours from CLCAC funding and 25 hours at property expense. This was complemented by paddock ground work by the ranger team and extensive work along roads and fence lines and around dams and watering points by station staff. The maps show the areas plotted by the helicopter and Weed Sniper since Nov 2014 as well as the recent ground work by the rangers and the station staff. An upcoming monitoring and assessment survey on Inverleigh will indicate just how successful these consistent and persistent integrated operations have been over the past 8-9 years. It costs a lot of money and time and resources but success can be achieved in the battle against the prickly acacia invasion of valuable grazing lands. Top and Centre: Inverleigh prickly acacia in 2008 - scattered and spreading across the vast paddocks. Bottom: Inverleigh West - Inverleigh boundary just north of Savannah Way
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WAR ON WESTERN WEEDS update Southern Gulf NRM has partnered with DAF to produce a new factsheet series to highlight key findings of the War on Western Weeds (WoWW) initiative. This series includes the results of ecology studies, examination of new control methods and innovative approaches to assist landholders to make better decisions for prickly acacia management. Factsheets currently developed include: • The prickly acacia control toolbox for western Queensland. This factsheet re-examines the best practice options for control of prickly acacia in a variety of situations. A review of the ‘toolbox’ was conducted to re-evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency and environmental factors associated with an increasing range of options. • Water movement of prickly acacia seed & implications for management. Recent studies have helped define how far seed pods are likely to move in water. This information can improve prickly acacia management from a property to catchment scale.
Epple Skattergun – a new tool for weed management The Epple Skattergun
The Epple Skattergun is an air compressor-powered device for shooting tebuthiuron herbicide pellets for control of prickly acacia and other weeds. Under air pressure, pellets funnel through a hose to the hand-held gun and are propelled up to 20 m. Pellets remain on the ground until dissolved by rainfall and the herbicide absorbed by plant roots. The trigger on the gun allows for measured individual doses or can remain engaged allowing a constant flow of herbicide to treat medium to high density infestations. The Skattergun may be mounted for use on utility vehicles, tractors and some tray-equipped all-terrain vehicles. The Skattergun has a large hopper which is able to hold up to 80 kg of tebuthiuron pellets.
Field trials
Independent field trials were undertaken by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and Southern Gulf NRM through the War on Western Weeds initiative. The focus of the trials was the treatment of various densities of prickly acacia to establish weed-free buffer zones on fence lines. The Skattergun was mounted on a tractor and was in use for 27 hours with the developer, Brett Epple, as the operator. Weeds on 93 km of boundary were treated to an average width of 20 m. Three intensively monitored trials were assessed in addition to sectional analysis of the areas treated (Table 1).
Image 1 & 2: The Skattergun (left) and in action for boundary weed control (right)
This factsheet was co-developed by Southern Gulf NRM and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries through the Queensland Government funded War on Western Weeds initiative.
• Epple Skattergun – a new tool for weed management. The Skattergun is a device designed to improve the efficiency of dispersing tebuthiuron pellets.
Good Neighbour Policy approaches for weed spread prevention
• Good Neighbour Policy - approaches for weed spread prevention. The Good Neighbour Policy is a community approach to reduce the spread of prickly acacia and other weeds between properties. By creating weed-free buffer zones the risk of weed seed movement is immediately reduced resulting in less pressure on neighbouring properties.
A new community approach to reduce weed spread between properties is the ‘Good Neighbour Policy’ (GNP). A GNP is a local government policy that identifies the actions expected from land managers to sufficiently manage specific weeds (may also include pest animals) on their land to reduce the likelihood of spread causing adverse impacts to neighbours. While a GNP may involve multiple elements, the establishment of weedfree property boundary buffer zones is central to achieving its weed related objectives.
Additional factsheets will be developed over time and will be available at SG NRM and DAF offices as well as at SG NRM supported events such as regional shows and field days.
The Good Neighbour Policy concept
Weed-free buffer zones Property boundary weed-free buffer zones are established to reduce the likelihood of weed seed moving between adjoining properties. ‘Weed-free’ generally entails the control of all weeds and follow-up to ensure no plants reach maturity and set seed within the buffer zone. The width of buffer zones is determined by local government within their GNP and may reflect the ecology of priority weeds balanced with what is reasonably practicable for landholders.
Images 1 & 2: Infestations of prickly acacia on a boundary fence can contribute to the weed invasion of a neighbouring property (left) and (right) prickly acacia seedlings in a creekline resulting from infestations from an upstream neighbour.
Flinders Shire GNP case study The Flinders Shire GNP case study was undertaken in 2014 – 2015 and co-led by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Southern Gulf NRM and Flinders Shire Council. The case study involved 13 cattle grazing properties predominantly on Mitchell grass downs. Surveys, boundary weed management plans, and initial and follow-up control of
This factsheet was co-developed by Southern Gulf NRM and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries through the Queensland Government funded War on Western Weeds initiative.
Water movement of prickly acacia seed & implications for management
This series includes the results of ecology studies, examination of new control methods and innovative approaches to assist landholders to make better decisions for prickly acacia management.
Prickly acacia spread
Prickly acacia (Vachellia nilotica) is a major weed in Queensland with serious impacts on pasture production and the environment. Large parts of the state are currently free of prickly acacia, but are potentially at risk of invasion. While livestock are known to be the primary means of dispersal for prickly acacia seed, the role of flowing water as a secondary vector has until recently received little attention.
Research into water movement of seeds
To help gain a better understanding of water-related seed movement, research was undertaken by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries into prickly acacia seed and pod buoyancy with subsequent field studies with Southern Gulf NRM support to quantify downstream establishment of immature plants from upstream seed sources.
Seed and pod buoyancy
Buoyancy trials were conducted for both seeds and seed pods. Seeds demonstrated no buoyancy, sinking immediately when placed in water. However, prickly acacia pods did demonstrate buoyancy with all pods sunk after 12 days in agitated water (average of 5 days) and up to 18 days in still water. Related research into germination after immersion found the germination rate largely unaffected by immersion.
Figure 1: Prickly acacia seed pods in buoyancy trials (left) and trial results (right) showing buoyancy of pods in agitated water for up to 12 days
This factsheet was co-developed by Southern Gulf NRM and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries through the Queensland Government funded War on Western Weeds initiative.
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MAYORS HELP LAUNCH
new regional weeds guide Southern Gulf NRM recently attended the North West Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils in Richmond. Our CEO, Andrew Maclean, gave a presentation on what’s happening at Southern Gulf NRM and the desire for increased project collaboration with councils. The meeting also provided an opportunity to launch the weed identification booklet, ‘Priority weeds of the Southern Gulf region of Queensland’. The booklets co-authors, Regional Landcare Facilitator Pru Wharton and Nathan March from Biosecurity Queensland, were on hand to present councils with copies of the booklet for their staff.
Photo (Left to Right): Andrew Maclean (SGNRM CEO), Nathan March (Biosecurity QLD), Pru Wharton (SGNRM RLF), Belinda Murphy (McKinlay Shire Mayor), Ernie Camp (Burke Shire Mayor), Greg Campbell (Cloncurry Shire Mayor), John Wharton (Richmond Shire Mayor), Jack Bawden (Carpentaria Shire Mayor), Trevor Pickering (Croydon Shire Mayor), Jane McNamara (Flinders Shire Mayor) and Warren Devlin (Etheridge Shire Mayor). Absent: Joyce McCulloch Mount Isa City Mayor and Edic Waldren Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council Mayor.
OUTBACK trash-packs Gregory River Landcare Group Inc. and Southern Gulf NRM’s Regional Landcare Facilitator Pru Wharton have put together a GRLG Outback Trash-pack to be distributed to campers, backpackers, grey nomads and local visitors travelling around Gregory, Lawn Hill National Park, Burke Shire and Mount Isa. The pack has been designed to mitigate littering and waste that is occurring in these areas possibly from travelling campers. This will help to achieve part of the Landcare
Group’s aim to keep Gregory River and the surrounding area in an environmentally stable and healthy state. GRLG would like to thank the following sponsors: Southern Gulf NRM, The Regional Landcare Facilitator program, Burke Shire Council, Keep Queensland Beautiful, Queensland Water & Land Carers and the Australian Government National Landcare program.
CHEMICAL ACCREDITATION workshops Southern Gulf NRM and AgForce have been out on the road delivering chemical workshops around the region. The workshops were held in Normanton and Hughenden on the 24th and 26th of May. The workshops were subsidised through the Regional Landcare Facilitator program and supported by Ag Force, who provided trainer Cindy Hartwig from Hartbeat Training. The aim of the workshops was to raise awareness of the potential hazards and risks associated with pesticide use and provide practical information with regards to safe chemical handling and application. Each participant in the workshops walked away with
a certificate in Chemical Accreditation. The feedback we received from Landholders, council employees, school representatives and Indigenous groups after completing the course was that they felt confident with the skills and knowledge gained from the course to ensure the safety of their employees working with chemicals. Whether it be on properties, councils, schools or Landcare groups, these workshops have played a vital role in providing important information for maintaining an effective workplace. Overall the workshops were well attended and a great success. Thank you to both the Carpentaria and Flinders Shires for providing the facilities to hold these workshops. S O UTHE R NG UL F.COM.AU
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PO Box 2211 43 Barkly Highway, MOUN T ISA Q LD 4825 FREECALL: 1800 676 242 TELEPHONE: 07 4743 1888 FAX: 07 4749 4887 A DMIN@ SO U T HERNGU L F. CO M. AU S OUTH ERNGU LF.CO M.AU
Photo by Emma Hegarty
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