General News
20 September, 2024
New partnership to tackle pests
A NEW partnership project will strive to reduce the damage caused by pests such as rabbits, gorse, foxes and blackberry in south-west Victoria.
Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Network has established Partnerships Against Pests South West Victoria with 15 community-based organisations and government agencies to work collaboratively on an education program to address regional pest plant and animal issues.
The project will kick off with a blackberry control field day on Wednesday October 16 from 10am-2pm at Grass Tree Plans Nature Reserve, Naringal East.
Partnerships Against Pests South West Victoria also plans a rabbit control field day at Koroit on November 18 and will host field days on gorse and fox control in 2025.
Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Network Senior Landcare Facilitator Geoff Rollinson said a coordinated and collaborative regional approach was needed to address current and emerging pest problems.
“Pest plants and animals don’t stop at lines on a map so there’s logic in forming a regional partnership to address the problems they cause,” Mr Rollinson said.
Mr Rollinson added that a wide range of pest species were negatively impacting biodiversity, cultural values and agriculture in the Warrnambool and Moyne regions, including gorse, blackberry, hemlock, ragwort, cape beach daisy, rabbits, foxes, along with emerging pest animals such as pigs and deer.
“It’s a hot button issue for local Landcare groups and government agencies so by forming a collaborative group we have the opportunity to share control programs and design an education program to bring everyone together to tackle the problem.”
Mr Rollinson said blackberries, gorse and rabbits were considered the top three threats in the region and each have their own state-wide taskforces.
“Blackberry is widespread and a difficult pest to control; gorse tends to be an issue particularly along waterways and requires long-term management, and we all see how many rabbits there are in the area,” he said.
“Partnerships Against Pests South West Victoria will better coordinate regional pest control work and help people to access funding and local information on control methods.”
It is hoped the project leads to the formation of a regionally-based task force with a multi-disciplinary approach to pest plant and animal control and create lasting localised education material.
The project has been funded by the Victorian Government.
Project participants include Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Network, Glenelg Hopkins CMA, Warrnambool City Council, Moyne Shire, Agriculture Victoria, DEECA, Parks Victoria and community-based groups Friends of Pallisters Reserve, Kurri Kurri Coop, Belfast Coastal Reserve Action Group, Friends of Tower Hill, Killarney Coastcare Group and Warrnambool Community Garden. The partnership collective will be supported by the Victorian Blackberry Taskforce, Victorian Gorse Taskforce and the Victorian Rabbit Action Network.
