Victorian Councils have become more involved in weed management over the past three years, according to a new study by the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV). Weed management is now seen as an important issue in rural and urban areas. More than half of Victoria’s 79 Councils are developing specific weed management strategies and one third adopting local laws to assist land managers.
The Local Government and Weed Management 2006 report was compiled by the MAV, with funding from the Victorian Government’s Tackling Weeds on Private Land Initiative. It has identified several barriers to weed control, including capacity and resource limitations, confusion over roles and responsibilities and few opportunities for information sharing between municipalities, State agencies, the community and industry.
Weeds cost Australia $3.9 billion a year in lost farm production. They are a significant threat to the environment – altering ecosystem function, contributing to land degradation, reducing amenity, and increasing fire risks and infrastructure maintenance costs. Responsibility for weeds rests primarily with landholders, but all levels of government have a weed management role.
The report identified several factors that influence Local Government participation in weed management, including Councils striving to be seen as good land managers, the level of commitment from Councillors and officers, community expectations and the availability of financial assistance.
Councils considered education more important than enforcement in driving a sustained behavioural change through community participation. They also felt local laws were an effective vehicle to address local weed issues and complement State enforcement responsibilities. Case studies were compiled to guide weed management activities, focusing on strategies to guide Council actions, community incentive programs, partnership approaches, mapping programs and local laws.
Targeting processes for successful project development and delivery, the case studies explore risk management, resourcing, implementation, monitoring and review issues. They also highlight examples of successful collaboration, innovative approaches and information sharing between all levels of government.
The Victorian weed management report will be available on the Municipal Association of Victoria website at www.mav.asn.au in July.
