Just how bad are coastal weeds?

Exotic plants seem to invade Australia’s coastal fringe with impunity, whether arriving by chance or through deliberate introduction.  However, with the exception of funding of Coastcare groups of volunteers — whose coverage is fragmented — we take little action.

Take the opportunity to become part of a University of Melbourne research project - ‘Just how bad are coastal weeds: assessing geo-eco-psycho-socio-economic impacts’.

Part of the reason for this lack of action is an almost complete lack of information on their impacts (or an under-appreciation of what these impacts might be).  Invasive plants, particularly in coastal regions, have a wide variety of interdependent impacts, both direct and indirect.  We may be ignoring them at our cost, or we may be right in treating them as low priorities. 

This project will collate existing information on the impacts of invasive coastal plants in Australasia and undertake formal research on impacts that have received the least attention.

• Research will be conducted by a multi-disciplinary team, including ecology, economics, psychology, sociology and geomorphology, interacting with State Government, Catchment Management Authorities, shires and local communities.
• Two detailed case studies will be conducted in Victoria, with contrasting human pressures.
• Outputs will include a document summarising the impacts of coastal invaders to inform managers at all levels, a web site on coastal weeds, and a major research application with a wider range of stakeholders and researchers.
• Outcomes will be a better knowledge of the impacts of weeds, and the potential to build research on coastal weeds.

The project will be unique in assembling and quantifying the network of interactions between weeds, people and our coastlines, and how these may be affected by climate change (i.e. rising sea levels).

For more information:

• Contact Charlotte Catmur, Department of Resource Management and Geography, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Get a copy of Coastal Weed Identification by clicking here