emr_262.fm Page 79 Wednesday, June 28, 2006 1:22 PM doi: 10.1111/j1442-8903.2006.00262.x FEATURE BlackwellBitou Publishing Asia Bush control (after fire) in Bundjalung National Park on the New South Wales North Coast By Jeff Thomas, Damien Hofmeyer and Andrew S. Benwell Bitou Bush has already invaded extensive coastal dunes in subtropical and temperate eastern Australia. Can it be treated at a large enough scale to make a difference? Results to date of a targeted aerial spraying program (applied after wildfire at Bundjalung National Park) are showing strong recovery of high conservation value dunal vegetation along 35 km of the northern New South Wales coastline. Figure 1. Prior to 2002 about 75% of the foredunes in Bundjalung National Park contained heavy infestations of Bitou Bush (the lighter-coloured vegetation visible along the coast). This is just Jeff Thomas (North Coast Region, PO Box 361, a portion of the approximately 900 km of the New South Wales coastline (80% of the coast) already Grafton, NSW 2460, Australia. Tel. 02 66 411506. infested by Bitou Bush. Without successful control, this nationally declared environmental weed is E-mail:
[email protected]) is considered to have potential to expand its range across a much larger area of the Australian Pest Management Officer and Damien Hofmeyer coastline. (Photo: Department of Environment and Conservation) (Richmond River Area, PO Box 856, Alstonville, NSW 2477, Australia. Tel. 02 6627 0221. Email:
[email protected]) is a Introduction (Box 1 and Fig. 2) had shown that in Ranger at the Parks and Wildlife Division of the 2002, about 75% of the foredunes in the Department of Environment and Conservation ver the Christmas and New Year park contained heavy infestations (i.e.