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Managing Existing Weeds
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Aim: To significantly reduce the impact of existing weeds. Awareness, Education and Training Aim: To establish an enthusiastic, well informed and wide network of people involved in weed management in the Cradle Coast region.
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Coordination of Weed Management Aim: To manage regional weed issues in a cooperative, coordinated manner.
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Legislation and Regulation Aim: To use the Weed Management Act 1999 and other relevant legislation appropriately, consistently and to best effect.
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Monitoring and Evaluation Aim: To ensure the Cradle Coast Regional Weed Management Strategy is implemented, relevant, achievable and reflects the current weed management issues of the region.
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Background
2.1
What is a Weed?
A weed is a plant that has, or has the potential to have, detrimental effects on environmental, economic or social values. Almost any plant can be a weed, and while some weeds of Tasmania originate from within Australia, most are species introduced from overseas. Approximately 65% of the weeds in Australia were brought in for their garden and ornamental values. Other weeds were introduced for commercial purposes and became naturalised, or they were accidentally introduced.
2.2
Weeds of the Cradle Coast Region
Australia has 28,000 introduced plants and approximately 760 of these have naturalised in Tasmania. Whilst most of them are considered benign, some have significant impacts on the environmental, economic and social values of the Cradle Coast region. The region has six of the 20 Weeds of National Significance (WONS) - gorse, willows, serrated tussock, blackberry, bridal creeper and boneseed, which are also declared weeds. Tasmania has 77 plant species declared under the Weed Management Act 1999, with 30 known to be present in the Cradle Coast region (Appendix 1). A number of other species, not declared under the Act, are also considered a threat to regional assets. The highest priority regional and sub-regional weeds will be referred to as Weeds of Regional Significance (WORS) and potentially include rice grass, Poa aquatica, sea spurge and New Zealand flax. Cradle Coast Regional Weed Management Strategy
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