Weed management and biodiversity protection face an uphill battle in the Northern Beaches Local Government Area (LGA), a region with a population of 260,000 and a diverse range of land use types ranging from urban, peri-urban, rural and natural bushland. This northern Sydney LGA is home to an extensive number of bushland reserves (300+) which provide habitat for at least 70 threatened flora and fauna species and 12 threatened ecological communities (TECs).

The region also contains a variety of differing natural environments from coastal ocean foreshores and headlands, estuaries and lagoons, freshwater wetlands, creek lines, bushland reserves, islands and national parks.

Given the diversity of land uses, tenures and sizes, the Northern Beaches LGA presents a unique setting for priority weed management. Habitat fragmentation, intensification of development and a generally misunderstood legislative framework give rise to a range of complex challenges (e.g. control of persistent water weeds, and herbicide use in recreational areas) that require an adaptive approach and a suite of management tools.

As the Local Control Authority, Northern Beaches Council faces a number of challenges upholding the need for priority weed detection and control whilst simultaneously protecting the region’s high biodiversity values. This talk provides a snapshot of the life of an invasive species officer working in this region.

Keywords: priority weeds, urban, biodiversity, biosecurity