Weeds generally can be described as plants growing outside their natural environment causing negative impacts on the economy, environment or local community.
They are one of the major threats to our unique environment and agricultural industries.
Weed management is an essential activity as it safeguards our economy, environment and community.
Everyone has a legal obligation to manage identified priority weeds on land that they own or occupy under the Biosecurity Act 2015.
Council manages weeds as outlined in the NSW Biosecurity framework and associated tools and are committed to the ongoing management of the risks posed by weeds.
Council supports an extensive weeds program including:
- Inspections of private and public lands
- Priority weed spraying programs
- Organisation of community weed control days
- Use of spray and environmental contractors to meet seasonal demands
We have developed a Pesticide Use Notification Plan so members of the community have access to information on local pesticide use.
The plan contains information on the public places where pesticides are used and the notification arrangements, we use to inform the public.
Check our weekly Pesticide Program
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Under the Biosecurity Act 2015 Shoalhaven City Council as the Local Control Authority has a legal obligation to manage the biosecurity risk posed or likely to be posed to human health, the economy, community and environment by Priority Weeds.
We meet these obligations through programs to:
- Prevent their entry into NSW
- Quickly find, contain and eradicate new entries
- Effectively minimise the impacts of the weeds that cannot be eradicated through robust management arrangements
- Conduct weed inspections on public and private property
- Inspect and control weeds in high risk pathways and sites
- Provide education to the community
- Undertake compliance actions under the Act
All plants are regulated by the general biosecurity duty to prevent, eliminate or minimise any biosecurity risk they may pose.
Any person who deals with any plant, who knows or ought to know of any biosecurity risk, has a duty to ensure that the risk is prevented, eliminated or minimised, as far as is reasonably practicable.
The negative impacts Priority Weeds or Biosecurity Matter can have on human health, the economy, and the environment include:
- Allergies and other health issues
- Costs of control
- Loss of tourism value
- Degradation of natural landscapes
- Problematic issues across parks and recreation facilities
- Reduction of useful agricultural land and loss of primary production
- Loss of biodiversity
- Water quality
The Regional Strategic Weed Management Plan 2017-2022 includes:
- State level determined priority weed species
- Regionally determined priorities
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For each state-level priority weed, the management objective, and specific requirements for management (as stated in the Biosecurity Act 2015 and regulations) are included. These specific requirements include those for a Prohibited Matter, Biosecurity Zones, Control Orders and Mandatory Measures.
Regionally prioritised weeds, and the outcomes to demonstrate compliance with the General Biosecurity Duty for each, are provided in the NSW Department of Primary Industries application, NSW WeedWise.
Search priority weeds for the Shoalhaven region:
The following plans provide a guideline to Council and land managers on how to effectively manage priority weeds in the Shoalhaven Local Government Area.
Garden weed escapees put pressure on our Shoalhaven biodiversity. The biggest problem areas are where native bush adjoins housing areas.
Garden weed escapees invade natural bush lands and can transform ecosystems by displacing native animals and reducing native plant diversity.
Most of Shoalhaven’s environmental weeds start from seeds spread from suburban gardens by water, wind, birds, bikes, cars, earth-moving equipment, illegal tracks or dumped garden waste.
Some key plant species that spread easily into neighboring bush land include:
- Privet
- Cotoneaster
- Hawthorn
- Olives
- Broom
- Agapanthus
- Cootamundra Wattle
- Lavender
- Freesia
- Watsonia
- Arum Lily
- Blue Periwinkle
- Cassia or Senna
- Genista
If you know your weeds you can get rid of them quickly and help protect our unique natural environment.
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