Priority weeds of the North West & Western Tasmania

Landcare Tasmania members including farmers, land managers, community groups, and volunteers across North West and Western Tasmania are being invited to take part in a major new effort to reduce the impact of 11 priority weeds across the region.

The Priority Weeds of the North West and Western Tasmania Project, delivered by Cradle Coast Authority NRM in partnership with Landcare Tasmania, aims to strengthen community-led weed management through engagement, strategic planning and on-ground support.

The project, funded by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment’s Weed Action Fund Stage 3, will focus on 11 of the region’s most damaging species:

• Asparagus Fern (Asparagus virgatus)
• South African Weed Orchid (Disa bracteata)
• English Broom (Cytisus scoparius)
• Montpellier Broom (Genista monspessulan)
• Elisha's Tears (Leycesteria formosa)
• Red Ink Weed (Phytolacca octandra)
• Invasive Willow species (Salix)
• Spanish Heath (Erica lusitanica)
• Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea)
• Sea Spurge (Euphorbia paralias)
• Rice Grass (Spartina anglica)

Petra Wilden, regional weeds coordinator with Cradle Coast Authority NRM, will be developing a Regional Weed Strategy for the Cradle Coast Region, including King Island. Part of this project is also producing Weed Management Plans and some funding for on-ground works, with a focus on 11 priority weed species. 

Over the next year, the project will produce 5–10 tailored Weed Management Plans for Landcare member's priority sites, support the roll-out of biocontrol for sea spurge, and create new opportunities for Landcare members and land managers to contribute local knowledge to the updated Regional Weed Management Strategy.

Axel Meiss, a statewide weed contractor, shares his knowledge on weeds found in the Strahan region at a workshop held in February 2025. Photo credit: Landcare Tasmania. 

A highlight of the project will be a community engagement event in early 2026, where farmers, volunteers, and stakeholders can learn how to identify and manage these priority weeds, share on-ground experiences, and help shape regional weed priorities. The event will also feed into Cradle Coast NRM’s broader consultation for the North West Weed Strategy.

Landcare Tasmania will participate in regional working groups, connect interested community members, and promote access to on-ground weed action funding managed by Cradle Coast NRM. Members are encouraged to enter potential project sites through the Landcare Project Bank, with final selections made in early 2026.

Successful weed control in the West and North West relies on strong partnerships and this project is about empowering local people with practical tools and ensuring their voices guide regional strategy.

Farmers, community members, land managers and Landcare groups from the West and North West of Tasmania interested in attending the priority weed workshop event are encouraged to keep an eye on the Landcare Tasmania events calendar.

Members: If you are managing any of the priority weeds listed above, please submit your project into the Project Bank by 31 January 2026 to be in the running for the Weed Management Plans.

For all other enquiries, please email [email protected] or phone (03) 6234 7117.

Take the survey!

Help shape the new Cradle Coast Regional Weed Strategy

Community groups and individual members in the Cradle Coast region are invited to take part in a short survey to help update the Regional Weed Strategy for the Cradle Coast region. This new Strategy will guide how weeds are managed across all our local municipalities over the next 10 years, with a review in five years to make sure it stays relevant.

Community groups like yours are essential to this process. You see changes on the ground, understand what is working, and often identify new weed issues long before they appear in formal reports. Your experience and observations will help ensure the new Strategy reflects real situations and real community needs.

What the strategy will do

The Strategy will help our region to:
• Protect natural areas, beaches, reserves, and cultural heritage sites
• Identify major weed 'hotspots' and emerging threats
• Improve coordination between Councils, land managers, State agencies and volunteer groups
• Strengthen community awareness, education and shared resources
• Support cross-tenure projects (where weed problems run across private, public and reserve lands)
• Improve monitoring, mapping and long-term planning
• Guide future funding opportunities for weed control

Take the survey today

This project is supported by Cradle Coast Authority, through funding from the Tasmanian Government.