Building an Invasive Species Management Alliance Project
The impact of invasive species on agricultural productivity, the environment and social amenity are well documented,
so too are the negative implications these have on society as a whole including the future sustainability of rural and regional communities in which we live and play. Whether it’s the role feral pigs would play in the transmission of Foot and Mouth disease, the insatiable appetite feral cats and foxes have for our native fauna or weeds like Cat’s Claw Creeper playing havoc with the destruction of watercourse vegetation, we must look to more effective ways to manage invasive species.
The recently launched "Building an Invasive Species Management Alliance Project" aims to examine a more collaborative landowner led response, at a local and whole of landscape level. The Alliance Project will look to further develop, promote and encourage the establishment of landowner led group syndicates to tackle both weeds and feral animals. Using what has worked from existing wild dog control syndicates operating in the South Burnett Region and other demonstrated best practice, a series of workshops will be held across the Burnett and Gympie regions drawing on lessons learnt and encouraging interested landowners to join forces to manage feral animals and weeds collectively.
Targeted incentive/seed funding and mentoring from community champions involved in existing syndicates will be provided to landowners wishing to start their own groups. A ‘Project Coordinator’ will manage the project, run workshops and support developing groups under the oversight of a Steering Committee.
The roll out of the Alliance Project will assist in examining and demonstrating how we can build stronger regional biosecurity frameworks through creating more grass roots collaborative arrangements. Lessons learnt from such an approach will help inform a potential model that could be further applied within and across our Council regions and in other areas of Australia.
Funded by the Queensland and Australian Governments as part of the Queensland Feral Pest Initiative.
Lead agency Contact – South Burnett Regional Council’s Natural Resource Management Coordinator, Jim Willmott on (07) 4189 9100.
