Weed Warrior Program
Warrnambool welcomes the Weed Warriors Program in its fight against environmental weeds. Weed Warriors is a national program which promotes weed control through environmental education and awareness, highlighting the impact weeds has on Australia’s native flora and fauna. Through a partnership of the Warrnambool Coastcare and Landcare Group, the Warrnambool City Council and South West Tafe, the Warrnambool Weed Warriors Program is targeting the spread of the Bridal Creeper Asparagus asparagoides in the South Warrnambool Wetlands. The main goals of the program are to contain the spread of the Bridal Creeper in the South Warrnambool Wetlands over a three year period, reducing the threat on valuable native habitat and also to raise community awareness of environmental weeds and their impact on biodiversity. Adult Leafhopper Zygina sp. approximately 2.6mm in length
The Bridal Creeper originated from South Africa and was brought to Australia as a garden ornamental plant in the 1850’s and had become a common garden plant by 1870. Today the garden escapee has found its way into Australia’s natural environment with drastic impacts on natural ecosystems. Due to its abilities to grow quickly and climb plants, the bridal
creeper smothers and out competes native vegetation for light, water and nutrients. It alters natural ecosystems to the extent that it has been declared a Weed of National Significance. In the case of the South Warrnambool Wetlands the Bridal creeper is smothering coastal vegetation and threatening to further encroach on the fringe of the wetland which contains the Beaded glasswort Sarcocornia quinqueflora, a food source for the rare migratory Orange Bellied Parrot Neophema chrysogaster.
(Source:http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au)
Guided by the local Coast Action Coastcare facilitator John Amor, the Warrnambool Coastcare and Landcare Group sought funding through the Australian Government Natural Heritage program to employ project managers to coordinate the Warrnambool Weed Warriors Program. The program involves getting school students actively involved in the management of the Bridal Creeper problem through the breading of biological control agents in the classroom environment. Schools are provided with their own “mini research lab” in the form of a Perspex cage, to breed the two biological controls over a six week period. The Biological controls for the Bridal Creeper are the Leafhopper Zygina sp. and the Rust Fungus Puccinia myrsphylli. They have come from their natural environment of South Africa and have been tried and tested in an intensive scientific program developed by the Keith Turnball Research Institute to ensure the biological controls causes no threat to the native flora and fauna.
Currently the Merrivale Primary School, Glenvale College, Warrnambool East Primary School and Warrnambool College are involved in the program. This is an exciting hands on project that allows students to see first hand the ability of biological controls to fight against weeds while gaining a greater understanding on the issues of habitat fragmentation and the threat on biodiversity from environmental weeds. It further highlights to the community the threats of garden escapees on our natural ecosystems. Have a look in your garden; are there any environmental weeds that may be the next Bridal Creeper? For further information visit contact the joint coordinators of the Warrnambool Weed Warriors Program:
Nicole Wood
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Nicole Wood and Ian Fitzgibbon pull out invasive bridal creeper "Asaragus Aparagoides" that threatens ecosystems around South Warrnambool Wetlands. |
South West Tafe
ph: (03) 5564 8834
Ian Fitzgibbon
Warrnambool Coastcare Landcare Group
ph: (03) 5562 1558