Pungalina-Seven Emu: 80 km of the Calvert River cleared of prickle bush
Parkinsonia is a prickly invasive bush from Africa that is now widespread throughout northern Australia and threatens many ecosystems. On Pungalina-Seven Emu, AWC is working to prevent the spread of this weed with the eventual aim of removing it entirely from the Calvert River Catchment.
Over the past two years, AWC has systematically removed this weed from the banks of the Calvert River on Pungalina and Seven Emu, assisted by a grant from Territory Natural Resource Management with funding from the Australian Government's "Caring for our Country" grant scheme.
Seeds are carried by flood waters from infestations in the rugged gorge country in the upper catchment of the Calvert, and form scattered stands along the lower reaches of the river. Treating Parkinsonia requires careful exploration of the river’s gorges, banks and floodplain to find the individual infestations and hand spray each one with a dose of herbicide. Locations are mapped using GPS so that plants emerging from seeds left by the treated plants can be more easily found in future.
