THREAT ABATEMENT ADVICE
This threat abatement advice reflects the best available information at the time of development (October 2014).
Last updated April 2015.
To provide information updates please email: weeds@environment.gov.au
Threat abatement actions
This threat abatement advice aims to provide information and guidance to abate the threat of ecosystem degradation, habitat loss and species decline in arid and semi-arid Australia due to the invasion of buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris and C. pennisetiformis). To most efficiently use available resources, it is necessary to identify the important ecosystems, habitats and species that need protecting. For the purposes of the Australian Government, these are the biodiversity assets listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). There may also be Indigenous cultural sites and state/territory, regional and/or local biodiversity assets that should be identified to help prioritise management activities.
To manage the threat, improving our understanding of the extent, spread pathways and impacts of buffel grass is essential, as is the design of tools, systems and guidelines to help protect areas containing high priority biodiversity assets. All stakeholders will need to work together to implement coordinated, cost-effective on-ground management strategies. This should include habitat restoration, monitoring and reporting on the effectiveness of management programmes where resources allow. Raising awareness of the impacts of buffel grass among stakeholders and building capability to implement solutions will improve the likelihood of successful abatement of the threat. Some actions that have been identified through consultation as being most relevant and necessary are listed below.
Actions
Responsible parties:
- Australian Government through coordination, communication, funding and policy development
- State and territory governments through coordination, communication, funding and policy development
- Land managers – includes all managers of land from national to local scale, indigenous groups, councils, Natural Resource Management groups, pastoralists.
- Research organisations.
- Industry groups – includes the pastoral and tourism industries and any other relevant industry.
| General/overarching actions | Responsible parties |
|---|---|
| Implement the 2015 Australian Weeds Strategy. | Australian Government / state and territory governments / land managers |
| Implement priority actions in state and territory strategies related to asset protection and weed management. | State and territory governments |
| Establish, maintain and participate in a national buffel grass taskforce to coordinate management at a national level. | Australian Government / state and territory governments / land managers / industry groups |
| 1. Prevent further introductions of buffel grass | |
| Work with the Invasive Plants and Animals Committee to encourage state and territory weed declarations for Cenchrus ciliaris, C. pennisetiformis and any new varieties or strains of buffel grass. | Australian Government / state and territory governments |
| Seek national restriction of the development, introduction, release, sale, movement and propagation of Cenchrus ciliaris, C. pennisetiformis and any new varieties or strains of buffel grass. | Australian Government / state and territory governments |
| Investigate harmonisation of legislation, strategies and procedures for monitoring and surveillance of inter/intra-jurisdictional invasion pathways and management of outbreaks. | Australian Government / state and territory governments |
| Prevent the introduction and development of new genetic material (including closely related species that may hybridise with buffel grass) which would increase the invasive potential of existing buffel grass populations. | Australian Government / state and territory governments |
| 2. Guide and support relevant buffel grass research | |
| Improve knowledge of national buffel grass distribution and potential future distribution using a standardised mapping methodology. | Australian Government / state and territory governments / research organisations |
| Increase understanding of the extent and impact of buffel grass infestations. | Australian Government / state and territory governments / research organisations |
| Promote and support research comparing the productivity of native pasture grasses with buffel grass in different landscapes and seasons e.g. pasture rundown, decline in nutritional value and cattle productivity over the long term. | State and territory governments / research organisations / industry groups |
| Promote and support research on buffel grass biology and management, including biological control. Focus particularly on the development of optimal techniques for excluding, limiting or removing buffel grass from areas containing biodiversity assets. | State and territory governments / research organisations / industry groups |
| Promote and support research into limiting the competitive advantage of buffel grass over undisturbed native vegetation. | State and territory governments / research organisations / industry groups |
| Develop tools, systems and guidelines for effective management of buffel grass and protection of assets, including early detection, eradication where feasible and restoration of areas once buffel is removed. | State and territory governments / research organisations / industry groups |
| Promote and support research to identify species that buffel grass threatens with extinction in the wild and the timeframe within which extinction could occur. This will provide critical information about which species need to be considered for in-situ and ex-situ conservation efforts. | Australian Government / state and territory governments / research organisations |
| 3. Identify and prioritise key assets and areas for strategic management | |
| Identify and prioritise geographic areas requiring protection, based on the presence of biodiversity and Indigenous cultural assets and the current level of threat from buffel grass in combination with other threats. | Australian Government / state and territory governments / land managers |
| 4. Reduce the establishment and spread of buffel grass, particularly into areas containing biodiversity assets | |
| Promote information on weed spread prevention to Traditional Owners, pastoralists, the mining and petroleum sector, tourists, managers of transport corridors and other land users i.e. promote vehicle, fodder, stock and plant hygiene. Develop guidelines for roadworks around communities for reducing the risk of buffel grass spread. | State and territory governments / land managers / industry groups |
| Encourage/undertake early, persistent eradication where this is still feasible. | State and territory governments / land managers / industry groups |
| Implement state, territory and regional priorities related to invasive species or to the recovery of threatened species and ecological communities where the impacts of buffel grass pose a threat. | State and territory governments / land managers / industry groups |
| Minimise the spread of buffel grass by natural means, especially water. | Land managers / industry groups |
| Identify and prioritise areas for exclusion, elimination or control of buffel grass across Australia and prioritise invasion pathways for surveillance and control. | State and territory governments / land managers / industry groups |
| Keep buffel grass out of conservation reserves and Indigenous Protected Areas where it is absent or sparse, prioritising areas where there is a significant risk of incursion and where important biodiversity or Indigenous cultural assets are/would be threatened by buffel grass. | State and territory governments / land managers |
| 5. Support and facilitate coordinated on-ground management in high-priority areas | |
| Develop guidelines to minimise the inadvertent spread of buffel grass by human activity and stock movements. Implement recommended actions, particularly in areas of high conservation value. | State and territory governments / land managers |
| Destroy and monitor outliers, new incursions and infestations threatening biodiversity and Indigenous cultural assets. | State and territory governments / land managers |
| Contain populations of buffel grass that cannot be eradicated to protect biodiversity and Indigenous cultural assets. | State and territory governments / land managers |
| Implement relevant actions in national and state/territory recovery plans. | Australian Government / state and territory governments / land managers |
| Implement relevant actions in conservation advices for ecological communities listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. | Australian Government / state and territory governments / land managers |
| Conduct ex-situ protection of threatened flora and fauna species through the National Seed Bank, Australian Seed Bank Partnership, zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. | Australian Government / state and territory governments |
| Conduct in-situ protection of threatened flora and fauna species through conservation agreements, bush regeneration and buffel grass control activities (integrated approach). | Australian Government / state and territory governments / land managers |
| Improve management of remnant vegetation to help prevent the establishment of buffel grass. | Land managers |
| Support Traditional Owners, community groups and others that are effectively controlling buffel grass to search for, document and manage existing and new infestations of buffel grass. | State and territory governments / land managers |
| 6. Raise awareness of the impacts of buffel grass | |
| Promote awareness of the impacts of buffel grass to Traditional Owners, land managers (including the mining and petroleum sector, managers of transport corridors), community groups, tourists, industry stakeholders and the general public and encourage their advocacy of the issue. Do so in a way that is relevant to the community and the local context, i.e. using culturally appropriate language and materials. | Australian Government / state and territory governments / land managers / industry groups |
| Inform land owners, users and managers of the urgent need to address buffel grass incursions immediately through determined and thorough mapping and treatment, particularly in riparian zones (once established, buffel grass is very difficult/impossible to control). | State and territory governments / land managers |
| Support land managers to identify threatened biodiversity and Indigenous cultural assets on their land and support the preparation and implementation of management plans for buffel grass and recovery of the asset. | State and territory governments / land managers |
| Promote awareness within the pastoral industry of the risks and costs associated with the use of buffel grass, including risk to life, property and tree fodder, depletion of soil nutrients, decline in buffel grass nutritional value over the long term and transformation of pastoral land to a buffel grass monoculture. | Australian Government / state and territory governments / land managers / industry groups |
| Promote awareness to policy-makers, decision-makers and others of the impacts of buffel grass on Traditional Owners and on their cultural practices. | Australian Government / state and territory governments / land managers / industry groups |
| 7. Build capability among stakeholders to abate the threat | |
| Develop and maintain capability to detect and manage local infestations promptly. | State and territory governments / land managers / industry groups |
| Develop and promote integrated weed management to maximise benefits of buffel grass control. | State and territory governments / land managers / industry groups |
| Actively involve Traditional Owners, land managers and the community in buffel grass management. | Australian Government / state and territory governments / land managers / industry groups |
| Work collaboratively with stakeholders and Traditional Owners to expand and support positive actions in their progress to address the buffel grass threat. | Australian Government / state and territory governments / land managers / industry groups |
| Support community groups, Indigenous groups, land managers and other stakeholders that are effectively controlling buffel grass, share information on best practice management and promote success stories to other communities and stakeholders. | State and territory governments / land managers / industry groups |
| Ensure threat abatement methods and weed control operations do not themselves threaten biodiversity or Indigenous cultural assets. | State and territory governments / land managers / industry groups |
| 8. Monitor, evaluate and report on the efficacy of management programmes | |
| Encourage monitoring and reporting at all levels to help with understanding the efficacy of programmes and to share success and areas for improvement. | State and territory governments / land managers / industry groups |