Weed control in the Desert Uplands

The Desert Uplands bioregion contains the major headwaters of the Burdekin Catchment and spans the Lake Eyre Basin Catchment and part of the Alice River and the Fitzroy Catchment.

Blueprint for the Bush funded a collaborative venture between local governments, contractors, landholders, regional land and water management bodies and the Desert Uplands Committee to strategically target weeds in an effort to prevent further spread.

Rural Lands Officers from the shires of Aramac, Barcaldine, Jericho, Dalrymple, Flinders, Belyando and Blackall employed and supervised weed spraying contractors to control mother of millions, parkinsonia, rubber vine and prickly acacia. On private land, there was a significant in-kind landholder contribution with management agreements in place committing to follow-up work on completion of the funding.

NQ Dry Tropics contributed GPS software bundles including cameras and a computer to monitor and evaluate the extent of the weed infestation and the success of the control measures.