VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PLAN for Bidjigal Reserve - Land

Vegetation Management Plan - Bidjigal ReserveNoxious WeedsWeeds that are declared as ‘noxious plants’ are those species that have potential to cause harm tothe community and individuals, can be controlled by reasonable means and most importantly, havethe potential to spread within an area and to other areas. A weed is declared noxious because itscontrol will provide a benefit to the community over and above the cost of implementing controlprograms.In New South Wales the administration of noxious weed control is the responsibility of the Ministerfor Primary Industries under the Noxious Weeds Act 1993 and Amendment 2005. The Act isimplemented and enforced by the Local Control Authority (LCA) for the area, usually localgovernment. For Baulkham Hills Shire, the Hawkesbury River County Council (‘HRCC’) is the relevantweed control authority. HRCC is a single purpose LCA with four (4) constituent councils: BaulkhamHills, Hawkesbury, Blacktown and Penrith. HRCC is funded by Primary Industries and by itsconstituent Councils to undertaken noxious weed control on public land (only).There were 10 noxious weeds recorded during the current survey of Bidjigal Reserve (see Appendix7). Of these, two (2) are Weeds of National Significance (‘WONS’) – Lantana camara and Asparagusasparagoides (Bridal Creeper).Keystone (Target) WeedsSome introduced species pose serious and immediate threats to the vegetation community theyinvade, eventually modifying the ecosystem to such a degree, that many native plants are unable tosurvive. These ecosystem modifiers are called 'keystone weeds' or 'primary target weeds', and theymust be given priority in any weed control program.A keystone weed may have a legal designation as a 'noxious plant' (Noxious Weeds Act 1993, asAmended 2005), or the species may be recognised as ‘an environmental weed’ in the local area.Because of their propensity to spread rapidly and affect water quality and aquatic fauna,waterweeds such as Salvinia (Salvinia molesta), Ludwigia (Ludwigia peruviana) and Alligator Weed(Alternanthera philoxeroides) are always designed as 'keystone weeds’.Typical keystone weeds represented in the Reserve include: Ligustrum spp (Privets); Senna pendula(Senna); Lantana camera (Lantana); Rubus fruticosus (Blackberry), and in the understorey Asparagusaethiopicus (Asparagus ‘fern’); Tradescantia fluminensis (Wandering Jew), Anredera cordifolia(Madeira vine), and Lonicera japonica (Japanese Honeysuckle).Many of the keystone weeds listed above are also declared as 'noxious plants' in the Sydney Region.A list of keystone weeds compiled for Western Sydney, and for the most part representing speciespresent in the Reserve has been included in Appendix 6.Secondary WeedsNot all weeds constitute a threat to the plant communities they invade. Some annual weeds orherbaceous perennials have naturalised in bushland, and many are hardy pioneer species thatestablish in the early stages of recovery (‘succession’). They are usually short-lived, and althoughthey produce a copious amount of seed, these pioneering species will not survive once a shadingcanopy is re-established.UBM Ecological Consultants Pty Ltd 54