July 2025 buffel grass update: one year since declaration
In June 2024, buffel grass was formally declared a weed under the Weeds Management Act 2001.
The Northern Territory Government committed $750,000 in ongoing funding to improve the management of buffel grass in Central Australia. This has allowed the Weed Management Branch (WMB) to employ additional, buffel-focused staff and acquire further resources for on-ground management.
The WMB has been working to build the operational capacity of the team and support landholders and land managers to improve the management of buffel grass. Operations and assistance programs have taken the team from Uluru to Tennant Creek, meeting with stakeholders and land managers across private, public and Aboriginal lands.
At the time of writing, there are land manager assistance projects active on 12 sites across Central Australia. The WMB staff are undertaking consultation, mapping, recommendations, and providing direct assistance on small blocks and complex landscape systems alike. Works range from mapping, training and technical advice to strategic on-ground works as required.
Recent highlights for the team have included mapping and spraying works at Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Watarrka national parks, and the expansion of buffel-free landcare patches in Alice Springs where rock-wallabies, euros, and even an echidna have been sighted on previously infested lands.
To enhance the capacity of community weed management programs, the WMB organised a chemical certification course through Charles Darwin University. This course certified 13 operators in Alice Springs, including Landcare, Lhere Artepe Rangers, Alice Springs Town Council and NT Parks and Wildlife, in safe weed control techniques.
Through the buffel program, the WMB is now preparing to sponsor another chemical training course in Tennant Creek for later in the year. In addition, a range of equipment and materials, including spray units, data loggers and chemicals, have been acquired to support buffel management efforts out on the ground
WMB staff have also been focused on developing the draft weed management plan for buffel grass. Given the strong stakeholder and public interest in buffel grass, significant time has been devoted to working with the Buffel Grass Weed Advisory Committee and other stakeholders to ensure the plan sets effective and achievable targets.
For the remaining calendar year, the WMB is focused on publishing best practice buffel management material and providing support to landholders and land managers looking to improve buffel management.
Landholders, volunteers, and operators are encouraged to contact the WMB for assistance in controlling or eradicating buffel grass on their land.
