Buffel grass working group urged to consider economic cost of not acting on invasive species

The Commonwealth Threatened Species Commissioner has warned of the economic cost of not acting on buffel grass, with large scale fires expected this coming summer.

The Threatened Species Commissioner has urged the NT’s Buffel Grass Technical Working Group to pay close attention to the economic cost of not acting on the invasive species.

Commonwealth TSC Fiona Fraser made the recommendation in a presentation to the group during its second meeting late last month, amid emerging warnings for the upcoming Centralian summer.

The working group was established by Environment, Climate Change and Water Security Minister Lauren Moss in March to assess the impacts and management of buffel grass, including whether it should be declared a weed.

It came after years of campaigning by Central Australia’s peak environmental body, the Arid Lands Environment Centre, particularly following three prolonged years of La Nina leading to a massive fuel load of buffel grass in Central Australia.

Backburning of buffel grass in South Australia. Environmental groups say the invasive plant is the “greatest threat to native species in Central Australia”.

Dr Fraser highlighted buffel grass was recognised under national and environmental law as a key threatening process as it was an “invasive weed” threatening native plants and animals.

She encouraged the group to “act decisively” regarding buffel grass management, urging group members to pay “close attention” to the economic cost of not acting.

She also emphasised that the commonwealth was willing to partner with both government and non-government stakeholders to protect sites of ecological value and prevent the spread of buffel grass.

The calls follow former New South Wales Fire and Rescue commissioner Greg Mullins telling Sky News that Australia will “almost certainly” have major grass fires in the upcoming fire season after heavy rains led to prolific growth.

The group also met with South Australian Buffel Grass State co-ordinator Troy Bowman to discuss the states zoned approach to buffel grass management since it was declared a weed in 2015.

Mr Bowman discussed both the benefits and challenges of the weed declaration, observing longer term financial commitment to sustained action would offer the best chance of improvement.

The working group also discussed the potential to employ drone technology and remote sensing for buffel management, the need for more research on residual herbicide treatment suitability in soils, investigating incentive options to rehabilitate areas impacted by buffel grass and opportunities to generate income from buffel grass management.

ALEC policy co-ordinator Alex Vaughan has previously described the plant as the “greatest threat to native species in Central Australia”, while APY Warru Rangers released the Umuwa Statement in November 2022, saying the invasive species was “killing our country and threatening our communities”.

“Buffel grass was brought to our country to feed cattle and keep down the dust but it has spread across much of our land,” the rangers said.

“It is choking our country.

“We can’t get bushfoods where we used to, honeyant, malu (kangaroo) and our native plants are getting harder to find, our wildflowers are disappearing.

“We suffer health problems like asthma from the buffel flowers and the smoke from the fires, our homes and communities are at threat from fire from the buffel grass.”

The group has three more meetings scheduled before it is set to hand down its recommendations to Minister Moss before November 30.