Gamba Taskforce: mission accomplished

The Gamba Grass Task Force intensive weed control work around the Cook Shire last week was a fantastic team effort according to Cape York NRM’s Coastal Ecosystems Coordinator Dave Preece.

A convoy of utes driven by representatives from local councils from as far south as Hinchinbrook, and other agencies, spent three days from Tuesday 18 to Thursday 20 April, spraying the invasive weed throughout the Annan/Endeavour catchment, and adjoining sections of the Jeannie and Normanby catchments.
 
“Thanks to the hard working crews it was a great success,” Dave said. 

More than 20 workers targeted the Gamba grass at properties, roadsides and reserves in a continued, coordinated response to managing the species. 

“We also had a lucky break in the weather. There was a lot of rain in the days before the task force arrived, then there was this perfect window of opportunity for the actual days of the task force. It was just unbelievable, it even rained in the night, but then got fine through the days.”

This year’s work builds on the first task force collaboration which was held last May. Groups involved come from the Far North Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (FNQROC) which includes members from the Hinchinbrook, Cook, Mareeba, Douglas and the Tableland shires. In addition, crews from Biodiversity Queensland, Queensland Department of Resources, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Jabalbina Rangers, Waarnthuurr-iin Rangers and Balnggarrawarra Rangers also joined the team. 

Gamba grass is a fast-growing, invasive plant species with the potential to transform local ecosystems and fuel fires with intensities well above that posed by other exotic grasses.

Despite its status as a restricted invasive plant under the Biosecurity Act 2014, annual roadside treatment and previous education campaigns, gamba grass is still commonly found within the Annan/Endeavour catchments.

“Our intention was to expand on last year’s momentum by increasing awareness and reducing the distribution of gamba grass across the catchment,” Darryn Higgins, the Biosecurity and Local Laws Manager at the Cook Shire Council, said. 

“With the help of Cape York NRM, we can continue to host these events and bring in like-minded agencies, pool resources and ensure a cost-effective response.”

The crews also collected GIS data to increase the existing knowledge of the distribution of Gamba grass which is critical to future program planning, Dave said. 

“We know what this weed can do, as we’ve seen in the Northern Territory, it has the potential to spread and fuel fires which impact infrastructure and threaten lives.

“We don’t want a repeat of that here.”

The Coordinated Gamba Grass Management Project is supported by the Australian Government's Reef Trust