The Minns Labor Government has allocated $2.1 million across 17 new projects to tackle pests and weeds across the state including tropical soda apple, wild dogs, harrisia cactus and feral deer.
The funding is part of the Minns Government's biosecurity plan to protect the state's primary industries and regional landscapes by focusing on addressing pest and weed matters impacting both public and neighbouring private lands.
The $10 million Good Neighbours Program was initiated by the Minns Government as an election commitment and has been distributing funds to local authorities and land holding agencies to foster collaboration and improve their alignment with farming lands.
The 17 new projects focus on coordinated pest animal and weed control programs, as well as capacity-building workshops and training for landholders and land managers and be delivered in partnership with public land managers such as Forestry Corporation, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Crown Land and local councils.
The new projects cover initiatives such as the following:
- Improving wild dog management across the Central Tablelands
- Reducing feral pig impacts along the Mid North Coast
- Improving statewide biosecurity strategic management on Crown Lands
- Minimising threats to endangered coastal emu populations within the Clarence region frominvasive vertebrate pests
This builds on the progress of the first round of projects, which were allocated $4.25 million and announced earlier this year, that are actively underway across the state, such as the following:
- Boxing Glove Control Program in Western NSW - has helped protect 55,903 hectares of private and public land in Sturt National Park and Tibooburra from boxing glove cactus through targeted weed control and the use of cochineal insects.
- Tropical soda apple control North Coast - Public land managers and local control authorities have carried out 1,535 hectares of tropical soda apple control activities.
- Feral Pig Management Program Bathurst - Forestry Corporation has brought together 47 landholders next to state forests in the area to work collaboratively to target feral pigs across 5,949 hectares.
The Good Neighbours Program will deliver a total of 36 projects across NSW. Visit nsw.gov.au/good-neighbours to learn more and see the full list of projects.
Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty said:
"We know pest animals and weeds do not respect property boundaries, which is why the Minns Government is investing in a range of new and expanded on-ground biosecurity projects to protect farms lands and our environment through the Good Neighbours Program.
"These projects support public and private land managers to work together to prevent the spread of pests and weeds because we can only make headway by collaborating.
"We are already seeing positive results from these collaborative efforts, including stronger relationships between landholders and land managers, which we will continue to build on as the latest projects get underway.
"The latest projects continue the important work already underway which is showing success. There is action addressing target problem pests and weeds, such as feral pigs, deer, tropical soda apple and Hudson pear."
