[22 Jul 2011. Rural Online. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)] -- For years, prickly acacia has devastated Queensland properties, and cost millions to control. Some graziers in north-west Queensland are spending huge amounts of money to combat the pest, and they're calling on more government funding. Prickly acacia was originally introduced to provide shade for lambing ewes and to serve as a good source of protein for livestock. But the woody weed has turned into a monster that’s ravaging Queensland, and is costing the government, graziers and community groups millions of dollars annually.
Robert Hacon owns several properties near Nelia, in north-west Queensland. He spent $70,000 trying to control the weed on his properties last year alone, and he’s reaching the end of his tether.
"In my opinion, it’s a national issue. It’s got that big a spread on it, that stopping it is going to cost millions, and millions of dollars," he said.
The plant was introduced to Queensland in the 1890s, but what authorities and graziers at the time failed to realise was the destructive effects the plant could have. It clogs waterways, sucking water from rivers and creeks, and chokes out native flora; it takes nutrients from the soil, ensuring Mitchell grass and other grasses cannot grow; and the forests of prickly acacia are so thick graziers can’t muster using horses and motorbikes. They now have to hire helicopters, at great expense, to retrieve their cattle.
Prickly acacia is now plaguing over seven million hectares of Queensland. It’s already well on its way to Lake Eyre and has sprung up on properties in the Northern Territory, and there are fears it will become more established in these regions, and spread deeper into other states and territories.
Charles Curry is the senior project officer for Southern Gulf Catchments – a not-for-profit organisation involved in natural resource management in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria region of Queensland. He’s on a mission to contain the seemingly never-ending spread of prickly acacia.
"You’re looking at a cost of far more than $200 million to get on top of one weed in the Southern Gulf area alone," he said.
Southern Gulf Catchments has secured $1.7 million a year for the next three years for its operations.
After administration costs, wages, and other projects, the group can only afford to spend $30,000 per year on controlling prickly acacia – a drop in the ocean.
The Federal Government, however, doesn’t consider a significant increase in funding a viable option.
John Thorp, the National Weeds Management Facilitator, says funding is only the start, and that landholders need to start taking more responsibility for their properties.
"There are always calls for more funding, but it’s a matter of having a whole plan for managing those weeds," he said.
"The money actually doesn’t achieve anything unless you prevent the spread and contain it, and eliminate it from certain places.
"One of the big things is landholders taking responsibility for the spread."
But there is hope in sight.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry says biological controls are being trialled in India to battle prickly acacia, but, should the trials be successful, it will be another five to 10 years before the control will be rolled out.
File photo: Pushing prickly acacia with a large machine is an option once it becomes like a forest. (Arlie Douglas)
Photo Gallery
Prickly acacia spreads along a waterway in North West Queensland.| Paul Sutherland
Close view, prickly acacia, an invasive woody weed.| Julia Harris
Basal spraying individual prickly acacia trees.| Julia Harris
