Regional Natural Asset Management - August 2012

Outside of intensively managed pastures, gamba grass (declared Class 2 pest in QLD and Weed of National Significance) has quickly established itself to become a major threat to Australia's northern savannah and rangelands. In the north western Northern Territory it has has transformed the landscape and led to the need to dramatically overhaul the fire management response and capability of rural and peri-urban communities. At up to four metres in height, gamba grass is classified as a high biomass grass. The fine and elevated fuels which result from this extraordinary growth are capable of producing fires up to eight times more intense than native grasses typically used in rangeland grazing (48,000 kw versus 4,100 kw). Northern Territory fire managers have had to continue to increase investment in stand-by and response capability in the fire season as a result. This has led a 10-fold or more increase in expenditure and the importation of aerial fire control tactics until previously reserved for responding to forests fires in the southern states.

The first stage of the management plan aims to remove isolated and high risk infestations from across the region to prevent the situation escalating further into something we cannot manage. The future and second stage of the plan will partner with the Weeds of National Significance led National Management Strategy to assist in containing and reducing the impacts of major infestations and plantings across the region.

From left... a controlled burn in gamba grass infestation in the Northern Territory (image: Sue Lamb, Bushfires NT). The management plan (right) is a collaboration between CYWAFAP and FNQROC with support from QDAFF, the then QPWS, and others.

This month in natural asset management:

FNQ Pest Advisory Forum website update

The FNQPAF webiste is going from strength to strength (thanks in the main to some hard yards and late nights from Matt Birch CRC and Michael Graham QDAFF) and we now have an accessible and I think benchmark resource for all things pests and weeds that will shortly be the envy of other regions.

Have a look around www.fnqpaf.com.au or subscribe to receive forum meeting invites and the latest alerts and news. The next meeting of the forum will be hosted by Cairns Regional Council in Mossman on Thursday 23 August 2012.

Upcoming events:

FNQ Pest Advisory Forum – Thursday 23 August 2012, Mossman

Natural Asset Managment Advisory Committtee – Friday 24 August 2012, Mossman