Municipality
Flinders
Funding Status
Partially Supported
Achievement Plans
Friends of Bass Strait Islands wants to build on and maintain substantial rehabilitation works on Islands of eastern Bass Strait. FOBSI proposes to conduct further weed control works of infestations of African boxthorn, on islands in the Furneaux Group. Over nearly twenty years we have now undertaken primary control of Cat, Storehouse, Little Chalky, Mile, Isabella,Chalky, Wybalena, Rabbit, Bird, North Pascoe, Middle Pascoes, South Pascoe, Roydon, Goose and Sentinel Islands and strategic areas on Flinders Island.
Methods
African boxthorn will be treated using the cut and paint method of herbicide application. Concentrated glyphosate with marker dye is used. Volunteers use hand tools and chainsaws to cut the boxthorn at ground level, paint the stumps to kill the root system, then burn the cut material. Follow up is carried out on previously treated areas at suitable intervals targeting missed plants or seedlings. We undertake substantial works with 10 to 12 people for a fortnight at a time.
Natural Values
Control of boxthorn enables: *coastal native vegetation to rapidly re-establish, *improves shorebird rookery habitat, *protects threatened seabird rookery complex vegetation, *increases bio-diversity of native vegetation, *reduces the threat of boxthorn seed spread to other nearby islands, *reduces roosting opportunities for introduced feral bird species ie. starlings and blackbirds on the off-shore islands thereby reducing risk of reintroduction of boxthorn, *makes the environment human friendly, *has been a great advertisement of what is possible to others in the region.
Amount
$5k - $10k
