Bega Valley Shire Council welcomes the release of the updated South East Regional Strategic Weed Management Plan 2023-2027 which outlines both state and regional high-risk weed species.
Council's Biosecurity Coordinator, Jamie Dixon-Keay said the South East Regional Weed Committee has assessed regional priority weeds that pose a significant biosecurity risk and have a high feasibility of coordinated control within the South East Local Land Services region.
"This management plan aims to prioritise the most important weeds in the region and guide management efforts to enable consistent and cooperative weed management, including a focus on preventing, eliminating and minimising biosecurity risks caused by new weed incursions," Mr Dixon-Keay said.
"Lantana, Spanish heath and Broom species are high on our hit list for eradication as they have the potential to heavily impact our environment and production lands.
"Imposing compulsory control measures at the early stage of a weed's spread is cost-effective and the best use of limited resources."
Weed spread refers to the introduction and establishment of weeds in an area where they did not previously occur. This is different from an increase in weed density in an area where the weed is already established but at varying densities across numbers of localities.
"Weeds such as African lovegrass and St Johns Wort are now widespread in much of the South East region, so are a poor candidate for compulsory controls," Mr Dixon-Keay said.
"The most important part of weed control is knowing your enemy. Learn to identify common weeds, including those which aren't yet widespread in our area and get unfamiliar plants identified if you suspect they may be weeds."
Some options for identifying the weeds on your property include:
