| Project Title | Strategic Eradication of Bellyache Bush from the Walsh River – Stage 4 |
| Partner | Tablelands Regional Council |
| Funding | $64,500 through the Queensland Government Transitional Regional Investment Strategy funding 2008 – 2009 |
| Description |
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| Commenced | 25th July, 2008 |
| Due for Completion | 31st May, 2009 |
| Final Report |
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| With persistence and hard work coupled with a co-operative approach seemingly impossible eradication projects can be achieved. | |
| Belly ache bush (Jatropha gossypiifolia) is identified as a Class2 Pest under Queensland Governments Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management)Act (2002) and it is prioritised number 21 under Weeds of National Significance. Tablelands Regional Council has the pest targeted under our Pest Management Plan. Bellyache bush is a severe environmental weed. It can be seen growing as a monoculture in the riparian areas that it is infesting, and quickly spreads out of the rivers to invade the rangelands. It has been noted that exudates of the plant are poisonous to native bees and threaten their existence in the Northern gulf Bellyache threatens the productivity of large areas of the Northern Gulf and Cape York Rangelands and will lead to a major reduction in livestock grazing capacity, particularly on the Gulf floodplains if allowed to go unchecked in the Mitchell catchment. This project has been a strategically driven staged eradication. 3stages have been completed since 2002. The eradication area includes river riparian zones, flood out land, and adjacent forested country, a total area of 1,120 Ha. |
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This project (Stage4) has cleared a further 800Ha.
Stage 4 has been completely treated twice. Council and landowners are committed to maintaining the pressure on this pest plant now that it has been much reduced in area and density, and we will be commencing the 3rd run down stage 4 in July 09. Over the entire treatment area, we see the weed reduced from what was a monoculture to a more healthy system with seedlings and saplings of native trees and understory plants re establishing Affected landowners will need to maintain their vigilance while carrying out their duties out on their runs, and are committed to removing all plants and satellite infestations they encounter. When we are sure that the weed is extinct from the project area, we propose to extend the works downstream as our combined resources allow. |
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| Council funds paid for a trial of a large 4 wheel drive tractor fitted with a mulcher and 4 in1 front bucket. This machine worked very effectively at mulching the soft stemmed belly ache bush, and left a deep layer of mulch over the cleared ground, where very little seedling recruitment has emerged. The machine was also ideal at building access tracks for a spray vehicle. We will be using this machine where possible on further works. All contributors to the project agree that the program worked effectively, and our planned future works will proceed in the same way, except that further use of mechanical aids such as the mulcher will be employed. The co-operative approach with NGRMG, Mitchell River Catchment Management Group, Landowners, local Government and Bio Security Queensland has been the key to the effectiveness of the project. Difficulty of access (for vehicles stores and equipment) was anticipated, and did prove to be a hurdle. Only the commitment and hard work of contributors helped to overcome that. An unexpected but welcome benefit of these works was that while spraying the BAB, dense infestations of rubber vine, introduced dutchmans pipe vine, and other invasive and exotic plants were sprayed at the same time |
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| Communications | |
| The media, newspapers, and radio were used to promote the aims of the project, and also served as an outlet to warn downstream landowners that water borne seeds were likely to travel down the waterway, and would infest the river near their properties, and that they should be alert to that possibility and patrol the areas adjacent to the river, and prevent the weed from escaping on to their lands. We have also set up interpretative stands in such places as community halls, field days and libraries. | |
| Recommendations | |
| We have been working on this Jatropha problem since 2002. Very little advice has been available on the recognised best practice control measures that could be employed in our fight. We have kept good records of what worked best and the timing of these controls, and we intend to push for a control manual to be published, publishing some of our collected data. We also note that despite Jatropha curcas (A close relative of belly ache bush) being listed as a Class 3 pest plant, there are still proponents pushing to have broad acre plantations established for Bio diesel manufacture. This must not be allowed to happen, as we are already treating large infestations of J.curcass amongst the J gossypiifolia. A major component of the work was in prompting the need for vehicle and plant clean downs. All contributors now see the need for these protocols. We have carried out media releases, and while warning downstream landowners of the risk they face with water borne seeds, the message was put out the community to clean sand and vegetative material off their vehicles and camp gear before leaving the river . |
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For further information contact Sid Clayton at the Tablelands Regional Council