Prison crew member spraying weeds in the Condamine Catchment
Condamine Alliance
Councils close ranks in war on pests
What was once merely an ambition to have Darling Downs councils pool their resources and work together across shire boundaries to stamp out pests is now a big step closer to reality.
Supported by $165 000 in funding from the Queensland Government's Blueprint for the Bush, the Condamine Alliance has kicked off a project worth at least $484 000 to involve 10 - and possibly all 12 - councils in the Condamine River catchment in a coordinated assault on key pests.
These pests range from feral pigs and wild dogs to weeds that are common in the catchment – African boxthorn, honey locust tree, or velvet tree pear - to those that are classified as Weeds of National Significance.
Previously, councils, Landcare groups, the Condamine Alliance and countless other land managers, including state government departments and the private sector, worked in isolation to manage weeds and pest animals.
"As weeds are spread and pest animals move irrespective of administrative boundaries, it is only logical to approach pest management in a coordinated manner within a naturally defined region," said the Alliance's program delivery manager Penny Hamilton.
"This project builds on the existing, successful pilot funded by the Alliance that engaged Cambooya, Clifton and Pittsworth shires and Central Downs Landcare."
The Alliance funded Central Downs Landcare to get the ball rolling in 2005 through a $117 000 pilot program funded by the Natural Heritage Trust that mapped roadside weeds, teamed the councils’ pest management officers, and engaged a Darling Downs Correctional Centre work crew to control the roadside weeds.
The Alliance funded project officer Garry Wilson to coordinate training of the shire officers and engage the prison work crew. Since then half of all velvet tree pear (Opuntia tomentose), a Mexican native that reaches eight metres in height and displaces native species, has been treated on council roads in the three shires.
The next stage will help the remaining councils to identify priority pests and adopt a joint approach to control.
Many other groups have joined the pest offensive along the way, including QRail, Queensland Transport, PowerLink, Ergon, Landcare, landholders and the Department of Natural Resources and Water.
In addition to their joint efforts, the local government pest management officers are also mapping treated areas, having been trained in the use of handheld GPS units. Their data have been collated into a common ArcGIS database and, more recently, into the Department of Natural Resources and Water PestInfo mapping program.
The pilot program also developed a three-tier approach to training in weed identification, in which Mr Wilson trained the council officers, who then trained landholders.
The initial driver for this approach was a review of local government pest management plans undertaken by the Alliance, which produced a report called Condamine Catchment Pest Management Scheme – Focusing on Results Rather Than Jurisdictions. It encouraged the Alliance to employ Mr Wilson and persist in its ambition for a catchment-wide assault on pests.
For more information contact Gary Wilson, Clifton Shire Council, on 4697 4222 or 0428 183 896.
Back to the VoiceLast updated 04 April 2007