Boyne Calliope Catchment Group
Project Profile
| Name of Project | Chasing Parthenium |
| Name of group(s) involved | Boyne Calliope Catchment Group |
| Location | Calliope |
| State | Queensland |
| NRM Region | Fitzroy Basin |
| What industry does the group belong to? | Beef |
| Corporate Partners involved | Woolworths |
| Level of Funding from LAL | $5,500 |
| Funding from other sources | $4,500 |
Issues
The Boyne and Calliope River Catchments experienced a significant increase in weed populations over recent years as a result of the ever increasing dry seasonal conditions and prolonged drought. Dry conditions meant a lack of competing pasture, but also the lack of landholder time, resources, knowledge, money and motivation to control weeds.
Parthenium weed became particularly pervasive during dry conditions and is creating a significant production and environmental issue for landholders in these catchments. Parthenium spread from the Central Highlands to other parts of Queensland including into various parts of the Boyne Calliope Catchments. Landholders had been attempting to manage its spread without much success.
Project Detail
| Background to Project | Parthenium, which has been declared a Weed of National Significance, is well established in central Queensland and is spreading via small infestations. Its seeds spread through water, vehicles, machinery, stock and in feed and seed. Parthenium weed will readily colonise disturbed or bare areas along roadsides and heavily stocked areas around yards and watering points. It costs the beef and cropping industries millions of dollars each year in lost production.Parthenium weed seeds profusely, with very small seeds that stay viable for a long time and are easily transported. |
| Key Objectives | •Objective 1: To increase capacity of landholders in the Boyne Calliope Catchments to manage Parthenium •Objective 2: To increase the motivation of the landholders to manage Parthenium through introduction to effective, cost-efficient methods of control suitable for their individual circumstances. |
| Description of Project | This project promoted Best Management practices to landholders in the Boyne Calliope Catchment for management of Parthenium weed using examples of successful management in the Central Highlands The project encouraged landholders to utilise multiple control methods and ‘think outside the square’ at their larger grazing management as a tool for control. The project focused on an organised bus tour to Central Highlands properties to demonstrate practical on-ground examples where landholders are currently controlling Parthenium using a variety of management tools. The project provided landholders from the Boyne Calliope Catchment with an opportunity to discuss practical solutions and bring this knowledge back to their own properties and the greater Boyne Calliope community. Information delivered through the project armed landholders with skills, knowledge, capacity and motivation to become more vigilant with Parthenium control and undertake practice change. It also supported a general awareness and practice change through the rest of the community. |
| Project Outcomes | Difficulties and lack of success in effective control of Parthenium had previously resulted in many landholders focusing on other management issues. This project showed graziers effective options for control of Parthenium and how graziers in other areas had developed successful control systems based on multiple interventions on large properties.
Approximately 50 people participated in the project with around 40 being local landholders and the remaining 10 industry representatives or expert speakers. The project gave landholders from the Boyne Calliope Catchment an opportunity to discuss practical solutions and bring this knowledge back to their own properties and the greater Boyne Calliope community. This project was able to arm landholders with skills, knowledge, capacity and motivation to become more vigilant with Parthenium control and undertake practice change.
Landholders were provided with information from technical experts in weed management covering chemical control; aerial spraying; experiences from a previous Parthenium Action Group, Biosecurity measures and regulatory requirements of landholders. The majority of technical experts speakers voluntarily participated to support the project.
The key messages from the project were that:
•Successful parthenium (and other weed) control involves using a mixture of methods such as: herbicide, wash down facilities, quarantining cattle from infested areas increasing groundcover to out-compete the weed and prevent establishment, •Follow up on initial weed control is critical, •Improving fencing infrastructure and installing off-stream watering points allow farmers to use management practices such as rotational grazing and spelling paddocks that improve ground cover. •Regular visual observations of pastures and infestations can identify areas for early and effective treatment. The success of this project was underpinned by the strong partnerships between natural resource management organisations and landholders in the Fitzroy Basin area.
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Photography
Project participants in a paddock on a bus trip to the Central Highlands reviewing successful Parthenium control methods
