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

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68 Threat Abatement Plan - Invasion of native plant communities by Chrysanthemoides monilifera Community groups and bitou bush control There is strong community support for bitou bush management in New South Wales. Hundreds of volunteers along the coast have contributed significantly to its control over the past several decades. These efforts require external support due to the scale of the problem. A further discussion on the role of community groups and bitou bush is presented in the NSW Strategy (NPWS 2001a). While there are many community groups working in coastal ecosystems in New South Wales, not all of them are undertaking work associated with bitou bush management. It is important from the perspective of this TAP to know which groups are undertaking bitou bush control, for several reasons. First, to raise awareness of the TAP and its objectives. Second, to provide training and guidance where needed to achieve wider implementation of the TAP. Last, to identify the high priority sites requiring the support of additional volunteers and/or other resources. Evaluation of the work undertaken by volunteers would help with identification of training needs for volunteers, as well as providing an assessment of the volunteer component at each control category 1 site. Community involvement and training A recent study estimated that expenditure on bitou bush and boneseed control programs in Australia was between $1–2 million p.a. (Centre for International Economics 2001). Approximately half the input into bitou bush control is estimated to come from in-kind support from the work of volunteers involved in community programs like Dunecare and Coastcare (NPWS unpublished data). In line with the Australian Government and state governments’ commitment to community involvement in natural resource management, the Bitou TAP encourages community involvement at all sites, not just those in control category 1. Some members of the community and stakeholders may however require training before they can undertake some control actions to: < limit damage associated with implementing control techniques, especially where specific techniques are required (e.g. P. spicata). < prevent inadvertent damage to conservation values through incorrect identification of plant species (e.g. the need to distinguish between juveniles/seedlings of bitou bush and Scaevola calendulacea which are both common on fore-dunes). < ensure that threatened species, populations and ecological communities are adequately protected under the TSC Act (see Section 2.2.2). < comply with regulations relating to undertaking work on threatened species, as per the TSC Act. < comply with regulations under the Pesticides Act. Accreditation may require some stakeholders/community members to gain specific skills. Similar training for volunteers and stakeholders is also a priority in both the NSW bitou bush strategy (see NPWS 2001a) and the North Coast strategy (see Scanlon 2001). Performance criteria for Action 4.1 < Source training providers and develop training courses/programs. < Maintain accredited training programs throughout the five year duration of the TAP, to accommodate new volunteers and offer updates and refresher courses. < Establish a database of those who are working/volunteering at high priority sites, and monitor their progress at regular intervals during the life of the Bitou TAP.
Threat Abatement Plan - Invasion of native plant communities by Chrysanthemoides monilifera 9.6.2 Action 4.2 Action 4.2 DEC and other agencies will undertake public awareness programs on the impacts of bitou bush, especially to biodiversity, and the importance of its control. Public awareness of bitou bush and boneseed Public understanding of the issues involved with environmental weeds has increased in recent years through initiatives like Weed Buster Week and Australia’s 20 Worst Weeds (or the Weeds Of National Significance). It is extremely important that public awareness of weeds and their impacts on biodiversity is maintained, especially for environmental weeds like bitou bush. It is important to keep the public informed of new conservation initiatives, such as threat abatement plans. As the Bitou TAP is the first TAP for a weed species in Australia, it is paramount that it receives positive public support. A public awareness campaign will also help to maintain volunteer commitment over the five year period of the TAP and seek valuable support for the TAP from the wider community. The public will be kept informed on the progress of the TAP’s implementation. Performance criteria for Action 4.2 < Establish a poster, fact sheet and webpage for the Bitou TAP and place signage at selected control category 1 sites. < Establish a program to report significant events in bitou bush management to the general public, or provide for regular updates, especially at control category 1 sites. 9.7 Objective 5: Bitou TAP coordinator Objective 5 Ensure implementation and administration of the Bitou TAP is undertaken. 9.7.1 Action 5.1 Action 5.1 DEC will support a position to coordinate the implementation of the Bitou TAP. TAP Coordination The biodiversity outcomes established in this TAP can only be achieved through statewide coordination and implementation of the Bitou TAP. Full implementation will require the establishment of bitou bush control programs at 169 control category 1 sites across a range of land tenures throughout New South Wales. Once established, coordination of these sites will be needed for five years to maintain the integrity of the TAP. The design, implementation and analysis of experiments to measure the responses of priority plant species, populations and ecological communities to bitou bush control at these sites will need to be undertaken. Given the scale of these actions it is essential that a coordinator be appointed to effectively implement this TAP, without which the actions of the plan could not be achieved. The specific role of the TAP coordinator will be to: 69
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