Eight tonne find on island sanctuary reveals invasive threat taking over Australia
The invasive buffel grass first brought to the country more than a century ago is wreaking havoc on our native ecosystems and even threatens indigenous culture.
It's a pristine natural environment considered to be of "international importance" but – like other parts of the country – it's under threat by an invasive species which threatens to undermine the native ecosystem, causing irreparable damage.
Australian researchers have conducted two separate field voyages to the Ashmore Reef Marine Park, about 630km north of Broome off the coast of Western Australia, only just returning after spending weeks trying to best tackle the problem. That problem is the fast-spreading buffel grass.
Initially brought into Australia by Afghan cameleers in the 1870s, it soon spread around the country. And even the remote reef island, which is closer to Timor than mainland Australia, is no exception.
"This invasive species has been spreading across the island at an alarming rate, threatening key habitats for shorebirds by smothering the native shrub community," Parks Australia said.
Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, a spokesperson explained the goal of the urgent project "is to find the best control method for buffel grass in the islands" as they tested different treatments to control seed germination.
"The islands are a unique environment that are hard to get to so we want to choose the best method for the circumstances," they explained.
Eight tonnes of invasive grass found on remote Aussie island
Remarkably, the team, made up of members from Parks Australia, the CSIRO and Monash University, removed a whopping eight tonnes of buffel grass over the two voyages to the islands in recent months.
Photos shows huge bags packed full of the invasive species to dry it out before it was burned to destroy the seeds.
"Buffel grass is a high priority because it has the potential to spread quickly," the Parks Australia spokesperson told Yahoo News. "It smothers areas of native vegetation which is used by nesting seabirds and impedes turtle access to nesting sites."
The islands are highly protected and managed as a sanctuary zone as the area supports 100,000 breeding seabirds, nesting green and hawksbill turtles, migratory shorebirds and diverse coral reefs. Meanwhile a lagoon there supports a small, isolated dugong population.
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"It's part of a Migratory Flyway of International significance for the migratory shorebirds each year," the Parks Australia spokesperson said.
"Despite its high level of protection, Ashmore is under threat from climate change and multiple introduced species."
The $4 million project is expected to take years to achieve its goals, in part because buffel grass has an extensive seedbank. Because of that, full eradication is likely to take an additional three to five years, Parks officials say.
Ongoing annual maintenance and monitoring will be critical to the long term success of the project as researchers work to protect and restore native biodiversity on the islands' terrestrial ecosystems.
Invasive grass increases fire risk and is a 'threat' to indigenous communities
Like other invasive grasses, buffel grass is "slowly being recognised as a threat," Dr Carol Booth from the Invasive Species Council told Yahoo News last week.
Although it has spread across the country, it has only been declared as a weed by the Northern Territory and South Australia governments, the latter of which is "really leading the way" in management, she said.
"Buffel grass is a threat to remote Indigenous communities in Australia because it causes heightened fire risk, damage to cultural sites, and a reduction in the ability to pass on cultural knowledge to the next generation," the South Australian government said last year as it announced a $2.2 million fund to tackle the grass.
It noted the weed was a factor in recent uncontrolled fires around Alice Springs as well as the devastating wildfires that ripped through Hawaii, also pushing the issue into a national spotlight in the United States last year.
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In its management strategy release this year, the Northern Territory also noted the troubling impact the spread of the grass is having on indigenous culture in remote Aussie communities.
"Buffel grass threatens the culture of First Nations people by displacing bushfoods, covering hunting tracks and hiding snakes. It grows prolifically following seasonal rains, is tolerant to fire, and is an early re-invader of burnt areas," it warned.
Currently the grass is still allowed to be imported into Australia, with experts calling for stricter controls to be introduced. Parks Australia said it would also like to see tougher controls on the invasive grass.
Dr Booth said the grass is "already causing enormous damage in Central Australia and Western Queensland".
"It's going to be an interesting one to watch," she said.
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