Take action on weeds: write to the Ministers now
Conservation Council Weeds Officer Geoff Butler has provided some dot points for nature-focussed member groups who want to write letters to the Government about weeds. We need realistic recurrent annual budget allocation for the management of weeds in the ACT and Budget considerations are nearing completion.
There was a dramatic cut in the weeds budget for 2015-16 which will have severe repercussions for the priority weeds program, setting back advances in management over recent years.
New portfolio Ministers Mick Gentleman and Meegan Fitzharris now share the responsibility for weeds. Minister Rattenbury formerly had the role.
Time is of the essence. Can you write a short letter to the Ministers now? The following dot points are provided for your convenience. If not, even a short note stating you support the Conservation Council’s representations to government would be very helpful. If you have them, please add photos (each one worth a thousand words!) of local problem weeds.
Write to:
Minister for Territory Services, Meegan Fitzharris: meegan.fitzharris@act.gov.au
Minister for Land Management, Mick Gentleman: gentleman@act.gov.au
Major points
- Weeds are a major threat to the natural environment.
- Weeds destroy native habitats, threaten native plants and ecosystems as they compete with native plants for space, nutrients and light.
- Weeds compete with native plants as natural pests/diseases are often not present and disturbed environments often provide suitable growing conditions.
- Local native vegetation communities have been invaded which result in changes to the structure, species composition, fire frequency in, and abundance of, native communities.
- Weed management is covered by the ACT Weeds Strategy 2009-2019. The strategy was prepared in consultation with the community and is a holistic guide to management activities.
- ACT weed management is prioritised for the protection of high conservation areas, but this is of constant concern due to the proliferation of highly invasive weed species right up to the boundaries of these areas.
- From 2009 to 2014, fifteen new incursions occurred in the ACT, most being environmental weeds of great concern.
- From 2010-11 to 2014-15 weed budgets averaged at $2.3mill. For those years, the budget allocations enabled many of the objectives of the ACT Weed Strategy to be met, even if at a low level.
- The 2015-16 weed budget has dropped substantially in real terms.
- Ministerial media releases indicating a rise in base recurrent weed funding are not correct.
- The Minister included weed funding for biodiversity offsets, catchment restoration, road and infrastructure maintenance (primarily mowing), fuel reduction and agricultural lands as part of base recurrent weed funding. These items should be separate funding allocations.
- As a member group of the Conservation Council ACT Region we wish to support their recent representations to government on future weed budgets.