Navigating nature
Navigating nature
Utilizing GPS technology making weed control more efficient
Capacity to Deliver -
LEP23-014_LLC02-1
The issue
The Deua River is considered a High Risk Pathway for weed incursions into the Eurobodalla, as it connects the relatively pristine Deua Valley to the highlands. The river has the potential to spread high risk weeds such as the State listed Blackberry and Maideira Vine and locally listed Croften Weed, Prickly Pear and Scotch Broom.
The river is extensive, remote and crosses multiple tenures including State Forests, NPWS, Council land and numerous private properties. Accessing infestations by foot or vehicle would be time consuming and inefficiant, also rely heavily on owner consent and/or presence.
The solution
A highly precise Trimble GPS unit was borrowed from the local Council environment team. This device is accurate to within 5cm and has an offset function allowing the user to 'point and capture' infestations from a distance.
Members of Deua Rivercare group volunteered to assist with mapping via kayak over a nearly 50km stretch of river, capturing species, distribution, density and access data for weeds located in the riparian zone. They were able to cover this immense distance and huge task in just 3 days by coordinating drop off and collection points for kayakers and being able to move freely through multiple land tenures from the water.
The impact
We now have access to extremely accurate location and weed density data for otherwise hard to reach infestations. The Offset function allowed the team to move through a vast area with speed
The data will inform land managers and owners of how best to access and treat their weed infestations and allows for a comparison of density (ie. efficacy of control) over the years.
The mapping can be used as evidence to accompany funding program reports and can be shared freely between agencies and landowners. It can be updated after control and will assist with prioritising control programs from a landscape scale rather than a discrete property approach.
Key facts
- Highly accurate weed mapping data to assist with efficacy of weed control
- Novel way to approach mapping by kayaking
- Easy to compare weed location and density over multiple years