TACKLING pest and weed infestations between neighbouring public and private lands has been strengthened through The Good Neighbours Program and will undertake 21 initial projects, including management and control of Parthenium weed at Croppa Creek.
The Good Neighbours projects will target pest animals and problem weeds, including feral deer, feral pigs, tropical soda apple and hudson pear.
The north-west program will concentrate on Parthenium weed eradication across two Travelling Stock Reserves at Croppa Creek, led by North West Local Land Services and supported by local councils, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, TSR users, landholders and traditional owners.
Improved on-ground outcomes will be achieved through co-ordinated pest animal and weed control programs, as well as capacity-building workshops, training and education for landholders and land managers.
The 21 projects will be delivered in partnership with respective public land managers including Forestry Corporation, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and local councils.
The Good Neighbours Program highlights the importance of public and private land managers working together to prevent the spread of pests and weeds and protect the New South Wales economy, environment and community.
Pest animals and weeds impact more than 70 per cent of the state’s threatened species and endangered ecological communities, posing a significant agricultural threat.
The Good Neighbours Program brings together a range of stakeholders and agencies to combat the issue and educate landholders and land managers about their shared general biosecurity duty under the NSW Biosecurity Act 2015 to control pests and weeds on their properties.
The program will run until mid-2026, with additional projects to be funded.
Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty, said effective pest and weed management is critical to supporting agricultural productivity and biodiversity in NSW, and best achieved by working as a united front.
“The Good Neighbours Program focuses our resources on areas where we can work together to achieve the best results,” she said.
“As the saying goes, everybody needs good neighbours. Biosecurity is a shared responsibility, and we all have a part to play.”
Project manager, Dale Kirby, said many hands make light work when it comes to co-ordinated pest animal and weed control programs.
“We can achieve far better outcomes when private and public landholders work together, with expert advice and support from Local Land Services, to reduce impacts and limit the spread of pests and weeds across the landscape,” Mr Kirby said.
Visit Good Neighbours to learn more.
