North West Queensland natural resource management community organisations have joined forces with Biosecurity Queensland to tackle the scourge of Prickly Acacia.

Southern Gulf NRM Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Maclean said that Prickly Acacia is a huge problem for North West Queensland producers.

“It is like a cancer in our landscape that if left uncontrolled will destroy the productivity of the magnificent Mitchell grass downs that are the foundation of our grazing industries.

“We are excited to collaborate with our neighbouring NRM organisation, Desert Channels Queensland, which has demonstrated a fierce determination over many years to eradicate the weed from the landscape.”

The collaborating organisations have been working together since a foundation meeting in October last year.

They recognised that a consistent strategy that applies across administrative boundaries is a vital first step.

The partners produced a communique to cement their agreement and to provide a foundation for further work.

Another meeting of partners in Longreach last week agreed to develop a strategy document that will form an important tool for communication with other partners and stakeholders in Prickly Acacia eradication.

The meeting also agreed that it is important to bring other partners into the collaboration.

“An early dividend of the collaboration is the opportunity to learn from each other”, said Mr Maclean.

Southern Gulf NRM is very interested to apply some of the successful methodologies and planning concepts developed by Desert Channels Queensland.

In turn, the collaboration provides a vehicle for extending the lessons of the War on Western Weeds Project, a partnership between Biosecurity Queensland and Southern Gulf NRM.