Pond Apple Management

Pond Apple is a Weed of National Significance (WONS) and is a major environmental weed of the Wet Tropics bioregion of North Queensland. Currently there is around 2000 hectares of land infested with Pond Apple in the Wet Tropics. The weed is dispersed primarily by water - although animals such as feral pigs and Cassowaries also spread the seed - therefore the potential for widespread infestation in the Far North is very high.

The Far North Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (FNQROC) in partnership with Terrain Natural Resource Management (Terrain) have engaged local governments in the coordinated management of Pond Apple in the Wet Tropics and also Cape York. The guidance resulting from this partnership has led to a more unified approach to pest plant and animal management in the Far North, and this is evident in the way Pond Apple control is occurring. The cooperation between local shires in the Far North is one of the key elements in the ‘Strategic Pond Apple Management’ project.

The 'Reclaim the Bush - A Pest Offensive' funding has been critical for local councils to continue the momentum of existing control programs that may have otherwise scaled down. The project has provided a vital link to continue the Pond Apple work in all council areas.

The project is drawing in a range of stakeholders that are demonstrating that effective control is possible and hence impacts can be reduced.

The Strategic Pond Apple Management project has also allowed new partnerships to be developed to target Pond Apple. One such partnership has been with the Traditional Owners of the area. Traditional Owner Claude Beeron (Girramay people) has been working with Cassowary Coast Regional Council staff in the area to remove Pond Apple from nature refuges and sensitive areas. This project has encouraged a sharing of traditional owner knowledge, that otherwise may not have been utilised.