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\u201cOur Weed Biosecurity Officers also partnered with local contractors in a joint effort to contain existing infestations and reduce further growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Accessing some riverbank areas proved challenging, prompting the use of multiple surveillance methods.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo ensure full coverage of riverbank areas, the team spent weeks kayaking and boating along the Richmond River,\u201d Courtney said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was supported by aerial surveillance flights to identify any infestations that may have been missed during ground and water searches.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cContinued monitoring of regrowth by landholders and Rous Weed Biosecurity staff will be essential to maintaining progress.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rous general manager Phillip Rudd said collaboration between agencies, landholders and contractors had been central to the project’s success.<\/p>\n
Good Neighbours program assistant project officer Matt Fuller said Tropical soda apple posed a significant threat across northern NSW.<\/p>\n
\u201cTSA poses a significant threat to the ecological balance, agricultural productivity and biodiversity right across the North Coast and Northern Tableland,\u201d Fuller said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy taking a multi-agency, multi-project approach, the program applied a nil-tenure model, coordinating a collaborative, landscape-scale strategy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has resulted in a significant reduction of TSA across the treated areas, protecting the river systems and biodiversity further downstream.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A large-scale weed control campaign spanning more than 130 kilometres of the Richmond River has tackled the spread of Tropical soda apple, helping protect farms and waterways. Led by Rous County Council and funded through the state government\u2019s Good Neighbours Program, the project targeted high-risk areas where the highly invasive weed is most likely to […]<\/p>\n