The gamba grass taskforce will be a visible presence around Cooktown this week as it attempts to eradicate the invasive plant. Photo: Cape York NRM.
The largest gamba grass taskforce to date rolled into Cooktown on April 15 to begin the annual program of eradication of the noxious weed.
The taskforce has grown to 11 teams made up of representatives from local governments including Cook Shire Council, and crews from the Department of Resources, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Jabalbina Rangers and Melsonby Rangers.
Gamba grass is a restricted invasive plant, and has the capacity to overrun local ecosystems, impact soil nutrient and water availability, and fuel fires with intensities above those posed by native vegetation.
The taskforce is being assisted by Cape York Natural Resource Management (Cape York NRM) and program manager David Preece said the annual eradication program had proved extremely successful.
“This is the third time the task force has formed to carry out weed control in what has become a really successful collaboration between councils and other agencies in preventing the spread of a non-native grass,” he said.
The taskforce was formed in 2021 by pooling council resources, and Cape York NRM secured funding assistance in the form of logistical support, including meals and accommodation for the project.
Cook Shire Council biosecurity and local laws manager Darryn Higgins said the taskforce represented an ideal concept for the organisation.
“We get to conduct an enormous volume of work in a short period by sharing combined resources,” he said.
“It also builds relationships and networks across boundaries, promotes the interchange of knowledge, and allows officers to see unfamiliar species firsthand, so that they may be immediately recognised when encountered in a new location.”
The taskforce will carry out its work over the next four to five days, and will target gamba grass on roadside, reserves and, with landholder permission, private properties.
Mr Higgins said the extent of the spread after the wet season would not be known until teams got into the field.
“This has been an exceptionally wet year,” he said.
“We are yet to observe an increase in distribution post-Cyclone Jasper, but once we get going, we will be able to identify impacts, and follow up with surveillance later this year, around June [or] July.”
In 2024, the taskforce will put targeted emphasis on the area around Mungumby Creek.
“We are hoping for complete eradication in this area,” Mr Higgins said.
“We are also hoping to eradicate the species north of Endeavour Valley Road.”
Gamba grass is a restricted invasive plant, and has the capacity to overrun local ecosystems, impact soil nutrient and water availability, and fuel fires with intensities above those posed by native vegetation. Photo: Cape York NRM.
