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Commitment to eradicate gorse

Posted on July 6, 2009, 10:10am

The South East Regional Natural Resource Management Board (SENRM) has joined forces with every landowner that has a gorse infestation and community groups to eradicate the highly invasive weed from the region.

“The significance of this project should not be underestimated,” chair of the National Gorse Taskforce Ian Sauer said.

“It sends a clear message to all those involved with weed management in Australia that eradication is possible.

“This will become apparent as the community and land managers move the containment line for this invasive weed east to the Victorian border and west to the Mount Lofty Ranges.”

Signatories to a memorandum of understanding have pledged to maintain treatment of any further reinfestation of gorse which might occur for the next 25 years.

In a ceremony at Mount Gambier, the national gorse coordinator Michael Rowland presented the presiding member of the SENRM Board Jim Osborne and a community representative Tom Megaw each with the National Gorse Taskforce “gorse batons”.

These document tubes carry maps of the infestations, project information and a copy of the MOU, so in years to come the “corporate memory” of the project isn’t lost.

National gorse coordinator Michael Rowland said the gorse baton handed to community member and local champion Tom Megaw contains his pledge and certificate of authority to maintain watch over the region and communicate with relevant authorities to ensure gorse does not re-establish.

“Deb Lang, local resident and project officer, has combined with the SENRM team and local landholders with gorse on their properties, to locate, map and treat the gorse infestations,” Mr Rowland said.

“Follow-up work included restoring bushland to better health and restoring lost pasture to good productive land.

“This work alone has been impressive and a credit to all involved.

“The National Gorse Taskforce has secured this agreement as part of its focus on the eradication of outlying gorse infestations nationwide.

“With the cost of gorse control, the loss of production to agricultural and forestry industries and damage to biodiversity this weed causes is well in excess of $7m per annum nationwide.”

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