Weed control

Sources of information

The primary source of information about weeds in Northern New South Wales is the North Coast Weeds Advisory Committee which has an excellent website (http://www.northcoastweeds.org.au/) and an informative, illustrated weed identification brochure called Noxious Weeds Guide for the North and Mid North Coast, available from Byron Shire Council. The committee publishes a quarterly newsletter which is available by subscription, or online.

Weed control is regulated by the Noxious Weeds Act 1993, which imposes certain obligations on landholders and occupiers, with penalties for those who breach the Act. Occupiers may also be responsible for the control of noxious weeds in a river or other watercourse adjoining their property, or on an adjoining unfenced road.

Local councils implement the Act as the Local Weed Control Authority, and provide professional advice on weed control.

Noxious weeds are defined as those which have a detrimental effect or cause serious economic loss to agriculture or to the environment.

Environmental weeds

These are weeds that impact on the natural environment but are not declared as noxious. They may be spread by birds, water, wind, or more commonly by humans.

When they invade natural environments they can outcompete native plants, reducing habitat and food resources for native animals. They may also impact on human health, access, recreation and infrastructure.

There are no legal requirements to remove environmental weeds from your land unless they are declared noxious weeds.

Control without chemicals

There's an interesting series of articles on weed control without chemicals on the Byron Environment Centre's website by Geoff Dawe who leads the bush regeneration project in the Cumbebin Wetlands in Byron Bay. To read Geoff's articles, click here.