Central West Biosecurity Plan for Weed and Pest Management

The Central West Queensland (CWQ) Region covers the seven local government areas of the Barcaldine, Blackall-Tambo and Longreach Regional Council and the Winton, Barcoo, Boulia and Diamantina Shire Councils. The region covers a total area of 396,609 km² and accounts for 22.9 per cent of the land area of Queensland.

The region has a diverse range of landscapes, ranging from the open woodlands, spinifexes and escarpments of the Desert Uplands along the Great Dividing Range, through the rolling plains of the Mitchell Grass Downs, the vast floodplains of the Channel Country through to the Simpson/Strzelecki Dune fields – the driest part of Queensland. There are also significant areas of the Mulga Lands and a small part of the Brigalow Belt South. The region contains wetlands of international significance and national importance and the biodiversity hot spot the Desert Uplands. Most of the CW region lies within the Lake Eyre Basin catchment with smaller areas to the south east falling in the Murray Darling and to the east in the Burdekin and Fitzroy catchments.

The Central West Queensland Remote Area Planning and Development Board (RAPAD) is the Regional Organisation of Councils for the seven shires of Central West Queensland. The RAPAD Board members, concerned about the increasing impacts of pest animals and plants, agreed in late 2010 to embark on a regional pest management project in partnership with other stakeholders in the region. The RAPAD Board members were looking for opportunities to provide more effective strategic control of pest animals and invasive plants in the region through initiatives such as setting regionally agreed priorities, providing effective coordination and lobbying for and sharing of resources.

Dominant pest animals in the Boulia Shire consist of feral cats, feral pigs and wild dogs. To control the dominance and spread of these animals, the shire employs a full time Rural Lands Protection Officer to complete legislative recording and preparation of poisonous baits (1080 Baiting) on surrounding properties at the property owner's discretion. To further aid the control of these pest animals, Council currently also offers a feral animal bounty, there are strict rules around the bounty claim.

The Rural Lands Protection Officer also plays a key role in the containment and eradication of noxious weeds found within the shire and regularly undertakes weed spraying in an effort to control the spread of weeds. In a combined effort to manage the spread of weeds on a regional scale they have developed the Central West Regional Biosecurity Strategy.

1080 WARNING: Birds can pick and drop baits over a large area and while baits are never put down within the Boulia Township to avoid unintentional poisoning of domestic animals, please be mindful of baiting areas and do not allow your pets to eat unknown food scraps while travelling, especially on the road sides.

To contact the Rural Lands Protection Officer please phone 0417 649 838 or (07) 4746 3188.