Our Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) Biosecurity team recently ventured to the West Coast supporting a collaborative weed survey field trip.
The trip to Queenstown saw the team join forces with invasive plant experts from Biosecurity Tasmania, the Tasmanian Herbarium, local PWS rangers and staff from Cradle Coast NRM and Mt Lyell Mine, undertaking weed mapping and surveying to confirm the status of historical records and better understand the current extent of their spread.
Surveying for weeds along the King River, Strahan
Based on their findings, a detailed report was developed by the Tasmanian Herbarium, which looked at the spread and ecological impact of non-native plant species in the TWWHA and surrounding regions.
The report focuses on five new and emerging weeds to the west coast: Mat Grass (
Nardus stricta), Heath Rush (
Juncus squarrosus), Kapuka (
Griselinia littoralis), Lawson's Cypress (
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) and Pontic Rhododendron (
Rhododendron ponticum).
These five plants, along with many others, were identified and mapped, with all at various stages of becoming established and causing harm to the environment.
One of these species, Lawson's Cypress (
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana), was also confirmed as being naturalised in Tasmania for the first time, along the Queen River.
Lawsons Cypress weed profile poster by Matthew Baker
PWS biosecurity coordinator Phil Mehlert confirmed all five of these plants had spread to new areas, highlighting the need for a collaborative and integrated approach to managing them..
“It's important to work collaboratively to monitor these new and emerging weeds, act quickly to manage them, and increase the public's awareness to help reduce their impact on Tasmania's West Coast," Mr Mehlert said.
The field trip was developed and supported by Biosecurity Tasmania, the Tasmanian Herbarium, PWS Biosecurity and Cradle Coast NRM.
“We are planning for this trip to become an annual event, focussing on a new area each year to further our understanding of the extent of invasive plants across Tasmania ," Mr Mehlert said.
Staff from Biosecurity Tasmania, Tasmanian Herbarium and Tasmania Parks and Wildlife observing an enormous example of Elisha's tears, a declared weed.