revegetated with native plant species to provide a suitable habitat structure for little penguins and other seabirds. It is interesting to view an aspect of turfgrass agronomy that is so common to us but in a very different context. It reinforces our definition of a weed i.e.: a plant considered undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome, especially one growing where it is not wanted. It is all about context.
References Seabird habitat restoration project. Case study of an Environmental Trust Project on Montague Island Nature Reserve 2004-2007. www. montagueisland.com.au/download/shrp_casestudy_ a4_lowres.pdf Montague Island Nature Reserve - Seabird Habitat Restoration Project www.environment.nsw.gov.au/ parkmanagement/montagueislandshrp.htm). Montague Island Seabird Habitat Restoration Project. Proceedings of Shared Island Management Workshop. Narooma, NSW, November 2008. www.environment.nsw.gov.au/ resources/parkmanagement/09443montisshrp.pdf
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If the kikuyu is not controlled, there is the potential for the vegetation on the southern end of the island to become a monoculture. Large areas of previously native vegetation became dominated by kikuyu grass which, over time, increased in thickness to form a dense mat (over a metre high in some areas), subsequently reducing seabird access to breeding habitat (Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW, 2008). As a result, large areas of habitat previously used by nesting little penguins, burrowing shorttailed shearwaters, wedge-tailed shearwaters and sooty shearwaters became disused. In addition, seabirds which nested in the kikuyu grass risked becoming entangled in its thick stems. On the island it was estimated that the kikuyu was spreading at over a hectare per year. These characteristics of kikuyu are well familiar to those of us that have tried to implement control programmes in turf areas or trying to prevent its invasion from a neighbouring property. In 2004 a restoration programme was started by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service on Montague Island which involved a multifaceted approach. Initially the kikuyu was sprayed with glyphosate to kill the existing growth and to allow it to dry out. The remaining dead grass was burnt to remove the metre-deep mass of grass with further follow-up applications of herbicide applied to the regrowth. Research has shown that removal of kikuyu by fire allows the birds ease of movement and reduced risk of injury or death from entanglement in the plant’s runners. After the fire, these areas are l
About three per cent of Montague Island’s entire penguin population of approximately 6000 pairs are fatally strangled or entrapped in the spreading kikuyu biomass each year
Photo: Dr Amy Harris
Of all the weeds on the 82 hectare island, kikuyu has been the most invasive, spreading across nearly 40 per cent of the southern section of the island. In parts, kikuyu infestation has created a monoculture which has effectively ‘choked’ out all other native plant species. Montague Island is one of the most significant seabird areas on the east coast of NSW with over 30,000 shearwaters, crested terns and little penguins nesting and breeding on the island. Little penguins have been recently studied by Charles Sturt University and their studies support the fact that the presence and continued spread of kikuyu represents the single greatest threat to seabirds on the Island, for the following reasons: l The spreading kikuyu is displacing and reducing traditional seabird breeding areas on the island; l About three per cent of the island’s entire penguin population of approximately 6000 pairs are fatally strangled or entrapped in the spreading kikuyu biomass each year; l During the summer and dry winter months, the kikuyu growth dries out and becomes a considerable fire hazard. At these times the seabirds are at risk of wildfire due to lightening strikes or accidental fires; and
It is the skill of the course superintendent and the staff that creates the environment for the enjoyment of the golfer and hopefully keeps them in the game January-February 2014
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