The Northern Territory has become the latest government to declare buffel grass a weed.
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The recommendation to make the declaration under the Weeds Management Act 2001 was informed by the work of both the Technical Working Group, and the Buffel Grass Management Strategy 2024-2030, as developed by the Buffel Grass Weed Advisory Committee.
The committee will now work on developing a statutory Weed Management Plan in consultation with the community, to be completed by the end of the year.
Buffel grass has been called the "king of pastures" in Queensland where it is still the most popular grass sown across pastoral properties.
But national authorities label it "one of the most environmentally serious weed species in central and northern Australia", especially due to fire risks.
"The Buffel Grass Management Strategy 2024-2030 provides a pathway forward for the Territory, and most importantly central Australia, in reducing the impact of buffel grass, particularly in areas of cultural and community value," she said.
"The committee is a great example of how when we bring together a diverse range of voices and views, we can find manageable ways forward in collaboration with each other and the broader community.
"The next steps, including maintaining the committee to inform consultation and provide advice on any future Weed Management Plan and related resourcing needs, I hope provides certainty to all stakeholders and community members that we are invested in managing buffel in a considered manner, on a long-term basis."
The Invasive Species Council welcomed the announcement, which follows a similar declaration by South Australia in 2015.
Conservation and biosecurity analyst Lyall Grieve said buffel grass was undeniably one of the most severe invasive threats to the environment and culture of central and northern Australia.
"As buffel grass spreads, it pushes out native grasses, starves our wildlife and drives more extreme fires," he said.
"Communities in the Northern Territory have been calling on the government for decades to take decisive action to prevent the spread of invasive buffel grass.
"While this change is a critical first step for action, the battle against invasive buffel grass cannot be won without serious funding for action on the ground."
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