NSW Bitou Bush Threat Abatement Plan - Department of ...

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60 Threat Abatement Plan - Invasion of native plant communities by Chrysanthemoides monilifera boneseed, and if information is available, will help with the review of this plan at the end of five years. Monitoring should be undertaken regularly (e.g. annually) to identify new infestations/populations of bitou bush and boneseed as well as to identify those existing populations that are re-invading coastal and surrounding regions of New South Wales. Such populations should be treated soon after detection to prevent further spread. This is best done prior to first flowering. While the impact of a single plant may be insignificant, it is prudent to remove it as a preventative strategy. Understanding the ways in which bitou bush and boneseed threaten biodiversity is of great importance, as most of the species identified as being at risk from bitou bush invasion in this TAP were selected using anecdotal evidence (i.e. derived through the WINS assessment process) and not quantitative studies. Such studies are desperately needed, along with studies concerning the broader ecology of bitou bush and boneseed such as seed dormancy, germination rates, seedling survivorship and establishment rates. In addition, long-term studies are needed to determine the likely success of the biocontrol program. 8.2.5 Monitoring fauna impacts While the impacts of bitou bush invasion on fauna have not been defined here in the same manner as those for flora, in part due to a lack of information (see Chapter 5), monitoring the impacts of both invasion and control on fauna should be considered during any monitoring program associated with any bitou bush control program. Such monitoring could be focused on generic groups of fauna (i.e. birds) or more specifically on individual groups (e.g. shorebirds), depending on the resources available (time and dollars), skill/knowledge level of the observer and level of understanding required. As outlined in Section 8.1.4, more detailed information on monitoring techniques will be developed within the first year of the TAP, this will include investigations into monitoring requirements for determining the impacts on fauna. Monitoring of fauna will also help to meet Actions 6.1 and 7.1 and the shortcomings outlined in Chapter 5.
Threat Abatement Plan - Invasion of native plant communities by Chrysanthemoides monilifera 9 A strategy to minimise the impact of Chrysanthemoides monilifera on priority biodiversity in New South Wales 9.1 Background The rapid expansion of bitou bush along the NSW coast over the last 20 years has had significant impacts on coastal ecosystems and native plant communities. In 1999, these impacts were acknowledged when the invasion of native plant communities by Chrysanthemoides monilifera was listed as a key threatening process under the TSC Act. Chrysanthemoides monilifera has also been listed as a Weed Of National Significance (WONS) and in New South Wales, bitou bush is declared as a noxious weed (under the NW Act). Recently, national, statewide and regional management strategies have been developed to combat the problem. This TAP focuses bitou bush and boneseed control programs across New South Wales on specific areas where the threat to biodiversity is greatest in accordance with the TSC Act. Bitou bush control programs have been undertaken across coastal New South Wales for several decades. While some local infestations have been successfully controlled and the containment lines are being moved, control programs have not prevented the spread of bitou bush, in part due to the scale of the problem and until recently, the absence of a statewide approach to combat it. Currently, resources are insufficient to control bitou bush effectively in all areas in which it occurs. In order to utilise resources effectively, control and management efforts need to be focused on the areas where the benefits of control will be greatest. This TAP focuses on identifying those species, populations or ecological communities that are at the greatest risk from bitou bush invasion. The identification of such biodiversity is then used to establish priority sites for control programs. It is important to remember that control is still needed for reasons other than biodiversity conservation (e.g. around access roads, for public use of beaches and the prevention of new infestations). The distribution of boneseed in New South Wales is such that it currently poses limited threats to biodiversity and most of the remainder of this chapter deals with bitou bush only, unless boneseed is specifically mentioned. 9.2 Aims and objectives of the Bitou TAP The main objective of this plan is to prioritise bitou bush control to areas where the outcomes of such controls are most beneficial to native biodiversity, particularly but not exclusively, threatened flora (species, populations and ecological communities). The effectiveness of the control programs will be measured through comprehensive monitoring programs. A core component of this TAP is the coordination of control programs across different land tenures and land management organisations throughout New South Wales. The Bitou TAP does not aim to replace or reduce existing priority control programs identified in the national, NSW and regional strategies. For example, carrying out bitou bush control in lightly infested areas, where further spread and/or an increase in density is prevented, is currently cost-effective and should continue. 61
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