Ferguson River Blackberry Control Program

The Leschenault Catchment Council secured a small grant through the Australian Government’s Communities Environment Program to assist landholders with the control of Blackberry and revegetation of strategic sites along the Ferguson River corridor over the 2020-21 financial year.

Blackberry (Rubus spp.) is a Declared Pest in Western Australia and a Weed of National Significance (WoNS) in Australia. It is estimated that blackberry infests approximately 8.8 million hectares of land at an estimated cost of $103 million in annual control and production losses across the country. Blackberry can severely decrease the productive capacity of land, alter water flow, erode river banks, reduce biodiversity, and provide harbour for pest animals1. 

With assistance from the Leschenault Biosecurity Group, we worked with nine landholders with properties adjoining the Ferguson River or its tributaries to assess the severity of their blackberry infestations. Blackberry was mapped and then a weed control contractor was engaged to undertake control works over the summer of 2020-21. A workshop was held at the end of the project to arm landholders with the tools and information they need to continue to manage blackberry and other weeds, and to revegetate their waterways to minimise the reintroduction of weeds, re-establish native vegetation and to stabilise the banks. As a result of the project, local landholders formed the Ferguson River Restoration Group, a community group committed to preserving and conserving the Ferguson River. Through funding received for this project, the Leschenault Catchment Council was able to give the Ferguson River Restoration Group a backpack sprayer for landholders to be able to borrow and spray weeds on their properties. 

For more information on this project please contact LCC Project Manager Katrina.