Invasive buffle grass declared a weed in the Northern Territory
The Northern Territory government has been declared buffel grass a weed, pledging to tackle the spread of the controversial grass in Central Australia. While the invasive species is highly valued by some pastoralists, environmental and indigenous groups have long warned of the grass significant fire risk and impacts on biodiversity.
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00:00The best of agriculture and more on display at the Alice Springs show.
00:07Setting the scene for an announcement years in the making.
00:13Bufflegrass now gazetted as a weed in the NT.
00:17A decision guided by an advisory committee.
00:20What we now need to do is keep the advisory committee in place
00:23and get them to put together a management plan.
00:25That will show us where the resources come
00:27and it would be my intention that that's something you would take back
00:30to get an increased amount of funding.
00:32The declaration will see a weed management plan formalised
00:36for buffalo in Central Australia
00:38with a quarter of a million dollars earmarked in the NT budget
00:41to stop its spread.
00:43Today the Northern Territory Government significantly is acknowledging
00:46that the continued spread of buffelgrass is unacceptable
00:49and with that there's an array of opportunities to be hopeful.
00:53Environmental groups welcoming the move
00:55with hopes native flora will be better protected
00:58and the threat of worsening bushfires taken more seriously.
01:03Fire regimes of Central Australia are being scorched by buffelgrass
01:07and there's huge opportunities here to bring together our collective power
01:12and move forward to care for the outlands.
01:15The NT Government is yet to classify the weed
01:18to inform how it will be managed going forward
01:21and some pastoralists have raised concerns
01:23about the impact of this declaration on their industry.
01:26Nearly 50 years that it's been around.
01:30It hasn't sort of increased until the last few years.
01:32It's been really helpful for droughts
01:34and making us be able to sustain cattle a bit longer.
01:38The central desert divided
01:40with all watching closely what the next moves will be.