VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN for Bidjigal Reserve - Land

Vegetation Management Plan - Bidjigal ReserveThis scenario has serious implications for bushland restoration, where over-clearing of vegetation orclearing without using some form of soil cover (planting, mulching, hydroseeding, use of geofabric)can have serious consequences.There are a number of sites within the Reserve where point source erosion occurs, and others wherescour and erosion of creekbanks (resulting in bank slumping and siltation of the watercourse) hasoccurred. Local hydrology and the impacts of urban stormwater on soil stability and water qualityare issues which should be addressed in any future reserve management plan.6.4 Weed Invasion & Garden EscapesThe impact of introduced (exotic) vegetation on native bushland is well documented, and the controlof unwanted flora and restoration of habitat through weed control is the central tenet of the BushRegeneration Movement (see Section 7.4).Weeds of National Significance (‘WONS’) - three (3) WONS are known to occur in Bidjigal Reserve –Asparagus asparagoides (Bridal Creeper), Lantana camara and Rubus discolour (Blackberry) 12 .Noxious Weeds –10 noxious plants, including a number of genera, are listed for Bidjigal Reserve (seeAppendix 7). Enforcement of the provisions of the Noxious Weeds Amendment Act 2005 is a localgovernment responsibility.Environmental Weeds - comprising numerous species of agricultural and horticultural origin,including non-indigenous natives such as Queensland Brush Box (Lophostemon confertus) SilverWattle (Acacia podalyriifolia), and Lemon-scented Gum (Corymbia citriodora), and introductionssuch as White Moth Vine (Araujia sericifera), Camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora) andJapanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). In response to community concerns about bushlandconservation, many environmental weeds have also been declared as ‘noxious plants’, as identifiedin the Noxious Weeds Amendment Act 2005.Many environmental weeds are garden plants that have escaped from cultivation and naturalised inthe bushland. Seeds and other propagules are spread by birds and other animals, and by theinappropriate disposal of garden waste. As a ‘rule of thumb’, any plant which seeds freely in thegarden, regenerates from offshoots or broken fragments, is tolerant of a wide range of conditions,and/or has succulent berries/fruit is likely to be invasive in bushland. Consequently, maintenanceweeding at the urban-bushland interface will always remain high (see Sections 6.5 and 6.6).Similarly, where invasive horticultural species have been used in landscaped garden beds in publicreserves or parks, steps should be taken to replace such plants rather than persist with highmaintenance weeding in nearby bush regeneration areas. Replacement plants in managed parklandneed not necessarily be local native species as long as they are known to be non-invasive.However, it must be recognised that not all introduced species naturalising in bushland pose asignificant threat to the bushland ecosystem, while at the same time recognising that there are12 Identified during recent field investigationsUBM Ecological Consultants Pty Ltd 120