For
our bush regen volunteers
Resources
to download
In
summary
Click
on an item in the list to go to more information
Check
the Volunteers events page for information
on upcoming courses, seminars, etc.
Bush
Tracks – shortcuts to vegetation information for NRM
Greening Australia
has recently published an NRM handbook and catalogue called 'Bush
Tracks: Shortcuts to Vegetation Information for Natural Resource
Management'. This 288 page publication is aimed at people trying
to find information on native vegetation and NRM issues. It lists
a large number of research and development organisations who contribute
to vegetation research and a section of 130 useful NRM publications
recommended to Greening Australia through their networks. It also
includes contact details and information on non-government organisations,
university research schools, online databases, online bookshops,
relevant newsletters and magazines.
This is a
free publication. Please email your postal address (and the number
of copies required) to exchange@greeningaustralia.org.au
Click
here to go to the Greening Australia publications page
Two copies
are also available in the Friends Library in the Park Office.
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Removing asparagus
fern
If you’re
battling asparagus fern you would know how much of a chore it is
to remove but many people don’t realise that the water tubers
don’t regrow and turn a big job into a massive one, doing
more damage in the process.
Some bright
spark from Pittwater (Asparagus Fern Central) has put together a
great demonstrative video on how to remove it effectively. Perfect
for anyone who wants to become an asparagus fern destroyer!
Click
here to go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=105jsIIbk4I or
go to Youtube and search for “asparagus fern”.
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Weed
Management Guides
The CRC for
Australian Weed Management has produced a series of 6-8 page colour
brochures covering the 20 Weeds of National Significance. These
weeds are considered the worst weeds in Australia due to –
invasiveness, potential for spread, and economic and environmental
impacts.
The guides
are available at http://www.weeds.crc.org.au/publications/weed_man_guides.html
or from DIPNR (Ph.02 9895 5965) and the Australian Government Dept
Environment & Heritage.
More Weed Management
Guides from Weeds CRC
The latest
weed management guide is now available on the Weeds CRC website.
Periwinkle (Vinca major) is part of a series of weed management
guides that tackle environmental weeds and which community groups
and agencies managing land at the local level will find informative.
These weeds
threaten biodiversity and the guides detail identification, biology
and control of them. These weeds are adapted to sensitive situations
such as native vegetation and riparian zones. Some widespread weed
species have close relatives that are more localised, and the guides
also include relevant information on these.
Available
now!
1.African boxthorn (Lycium ferocissimum)
2.Coolatai grass (Hyparrhenia hirta)
3.buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris)
4.periwinkle (Vinca major)
5.Spanish heath (Erica lusitanica) and other Erica spp.
Coming
soon
6.brooms (Cytisus scoparius, Genista monspessulana and related species)
7.cat's claw creeper (Macfadyena unguis-cati)
8.feathergrasses and mission grasses (Pennisetum spp.).
Where to find
the new guides
High resolution pdfs of the guides suitable for printing, and low
resolution versions for slower internet connections, are available
on the Weeds CRC website at:
http://www.weedscrc.org.au/publications/weed_man_guides.html#biodiversity
Habitat Management
Guidelines from Weeds CRC
The following
2 publications have been added to the Weeds CRC website. One more
is to come in this series (Rangelands). This website will cease
to exist from June 2010 so please save these files, and any other
files on this site, to your computer for future reference. The Weeds
CRC home page is now at http://www.weedscrc.org.au/index_flash.html
until this time.
RIPARIAN
Riparian corridors
are particularly susceptible to weed invasion and are often invaded
by multiple weed species. This susceptibility to invasion is a result
of the natural disturbance processes associated with flooding, favourable
environmental conditions and the continued input of weed propagules
from upstream and adjacent areas. The impacts of human activities
have also increased the likelihood of weeds establishing in riparian
areas. However, well designed weed management programs can achieve
positive outcomes in riparian areas.
These guidelines
are designed to provide assistance to managers of riparian areas
in planning their weed management programs, and in so doing, highlight
some of the challenges inherent in riparian weed management. Background
material is provided about riparian areas and the weed species typically
found in riparian areas in south-eastern Australia, particularly
Victoria. The steps required to develop an effective riparian weed
management program are described. These steps outline general principles
but do not provide management prescriptions for individual weed
species or riparian sites.
While complementing
other recent weed management guidelines, the information in this
document highlights the central role played by water flow, particularly
flooding, in shaping riparian areas and their weed management.
http://www.weedscrc.org.au/documents/hmg_riparian.pdf
RAINFOREST
Weeds in rainforest
habitats have traditionally been considered as impacting only around
edges and in highly disturbed areas. However more recently managers
and researchers have discovered rainforest weeds can often occur
in relatively intact rainforest habitat, greatly altering native
community structure. Weed invasion is now becoming a major issue
in the management and conservation of tropical forests.
A species-by-species
approach to management becomes more difficult and costly with each
new introduction, particularly as biological, ecological and spatial
information is often sparse. The logistical difficulties involved
in detecting, controlling and eradicating weeds in rainforest habitats
means that resources are not available to deal with each species
individually. Rather, a range of strategies are necessary for management,
including focused management of high-risk single species, strategies
that target suites of species, and strategies that target entire
landscapes.
This publication
focuses on the ecological processes that govern weed invasion in
rainforest habitats and the ecological principles for strategically
managing them so as to minimise weed introduction and spread.
http://www.weedscrc.org.au/documents/CRC_HMG_Rainforests_v6a.pdf
Matt
NSW Invasive
Species Plan
DPI has advised that the NSW Invasive Species Plan
is now available publicly. Copies can be downloaded at http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/pests-weeds/nsw-invasive-species-plan.
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Noxious
weed lists
Now on the
web at www.weeds.org.au.
Help with those confusing issues such as which states have declared
Lantana camara noxious. The lists will be updated quarterly
or when important changes are made.
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Australian
Govt weeds website
Check out the
new Australian Govt weeds website - looks pretty good. http://www.weeds.gov.au
This is different to http://www.weeds.org.au (above) which is managed
by the Australian Weeds Committee.
Brochure
on weed cycles
There is a brochure available on weed cycles (not
weed bicycles!) for some local weeds at the DPI website. Knowing
the annual cycles of the weeds on your site can be an invaluable
tool for treating these weeds before they spread. Too often there
are frantic attempts to stop the spread of seed after it is set
whereas if treated as it is flowering or earlier can make life so
much easier. Click
here to follow the link. (This
is a new link Nov 2007)
Biological
control publications from Weeds CRC
We have released
a number of biological controls within the park with varying degrees
of success. Some volunteers have expressed concern that we could
be opening up a another cane toad/pandora’s box scenario which
could do more harm than good – so these new publications would
make a good read for those who may wish to learn more about the
processes and amount of research required to release new biological
controls in this country. Successful biological controls are far
and away the most cost effective weapon we have in the war against
weeds and other invasive species. For the record, cane toads were
never introduced under a government sponsored program but by an
obstinate farmer who brought them into the country on his own initiative,
despite advice and warnings against it – read the full story
in Tim Low’s Feral Future. Call me if you have any questions
or would like more information about biocontrols released in the
park.
The aim of
a biological control (biocontrol) program is to introduce insects
or diseases (agents) which attack the target weed and to use them
to successfully manage this weed and reduce its impacts. The time
and resources devoted to the selection, testing, release and evaluation
of a biocontrol agent can be significant. To assist natural resource
managers and policy makers in this area, the Weeds CRC has just
produced a series of guides and factsheets on biocontrol.
The two best
practice guides:
- Release
and establishment of weed biological control agents
- Impact evaluation
of weed biological control agents
summarise
key principles, practices and insight gained over many years of
biocontrol research.
The guide on
release and establishment outlines ways to enhance establishment
of agents to increase the efficiency of weed biocontrol programs.
The guide on
impact evaluation highlights principles and approaches to measure
the impacts of agents on target weed populations and to quantify
the benefits for associated plant communities, ecosystems, the economy
and society in general.
To complement
these guides a series of four, easy-to-read, 2-page factsheets have
been produced:
- Biological
control of weeds: selection of agents
- Biological
control of weeds: host testing
- Biological
control of weeds: release and establishment
- Biological
control of weeds: impact evaluation
These factsheets
introduce biocontrol, describe relevant issues, list key principles
and provide guidelines, a case study and a further reading list.
To view a copy
of the guides please visit: http://www.weedscrc.org.au/publications/weed_man_guides.html#bpgbio
To view a copy
of the factsheets please visit: http://www.weedscrc.org.au/publications/factsheets_guidelines.html
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MAMBARA:
Sydney Metropolitan CMA’s newsletter
The latest issue of Mambara is now available on their website. Click
here to go to their publications page..
Find
out about Sydney's Community Forum, endangered Blue Gum High Forest,
bilingual weeds workshops, new coastal grants and much more!
If you are having difficulties opening the newsletter please try
clicking on the download button and click on save to save to your
hard drive. Then open the file saved on your computer.
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The
State of Australia's Birds 2007 - Birds in a Changing Climate
Since 2003
Birds Australia has produced an annual State of Australia's Birds
report. The reports collate and disseminate information on trends
in bird populations to inform Australians of the status of their
birds and help bring about improved understanding and better management
of the land for birds and other biota. They also provide feedback
to the dedicated thousands who volunteer their time and skills to
monitor birds.
This year's
report, Birds in a Changing Climate, has been compiled by Penny
Olsen for Birds Australia. Climate change is bringing mixed news
for Australia's birds. Some species will benefit, others will be
disadvantaged over and above the other long-standing threats they
face. We don't know how quickly birds can adapt to the changes,
but we think that many will and we know that some won't. To facilitate
adaptation, connectivity is the catch-cry: reconnecting natural
landscapes and habitats and connecting biodiversity to carbon policies
and procedures. For further information, see Birds in a Changing
Climate.
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Urban
Natural Resource Management email group and web log
See
below for a list of the latest posts on the new Urban NRM News service
which you can visit at http://urbnrm.blogspot.com/
If
you would like to get regular updates you could subscribe to http://urbnrm.blogspot.com/
as there are many topics and posts there which I do not forward
on but you may be interested in them. Or you could just save it
in your favourites and go the RSS feed on the left side of the page
from time to time. An RSS feed enables you to easily view Urban
NRM News with an RSS news reader such as the one offered by Google.
The
latest posts on the new Urban NRM News service:
New
guide to sustainable water use around the home
Solar Ark: Worlds most stunning solar building
ANPC National Conference 21 - 24 April 2008, Mulgoa NSW
THECA's 2008 Forum 'A Green Future? Biodiversity under Climate Change',
12 April 2008, Brisbane
'Volunteering on the Edge' Conference, 3 - 6 April 2008, Hobart
Australian Association for Environmental Education Conference 9
- 12 July 2008
Victorian Sustainable Development Conference, 22 - 23 April 2008,
Melbourne
Clean Up Australia Day - 2 March 2008
Roberto Perez speaking tour, How Cuba Survived Peak Oil, 28 March
2008 Sydney
Alignment of Local NRM Data Project – Sydney Metro CMA
Pannell Discussion #116: Capacities of regional NRM bodies
Lantana DVD
International Salinity Forum - Salinity, Water and Society - Global
issues, local action, 31 March - 3 April 2008, Adelaide
National Natural Resources Management Knowledge Conference, 14 -
16 April 2008, Melbourne
Melbourne Environment Report 2007
Hornsby Herbarium goes online
Ecology of Cumberland Plain Woodland, Western Sydney
New Guidelines for urban bird habitat
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Go
to Volunteers events page for information
on upcoming courses, seminars, etc.
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