Biosecurity Inspection Program
Councils' Invasive Plant officers work to protect the biodiversity of the Sunshine Coast.
Councils' Invasive Plant officers work to protect the biodiversity of the Sunshine Coast and help land holders and industry bodies to meet their obligations under the Biosecurity Act 2014. Officers conduct inspections under Biosecurity programs to prevent incursions of alert species by educating land holders and industries (including nurseries) on species that cannot be kept or sold.
Biosecurity Inspection programs
Biosecurity program
Biosecurity program
Under the Biosecurity Act 2014 the Sunshine Coast Council conducts biosecurity inspection programs to identify and respond to biosecurity risks relating to invasive plants. These programs assist residents to take a coordinated approach to invasive plant control and are important for managing the cross-boundary impacts of invasive plants.
Target species
All 80 priority invasive plants declared under the Local Government Area Biosecurity Plan 2017 and the Biosecurity Act 2014
Schedule
Ongoing
Location
Sunshine Coast Local Government Area
Protection methods
Sunshine Coast Council undertakes inspections of properties on the Sunshine Coast. Biosecurity inspections are focusing primarily on upper catchment areas to ensure that invasive plants don’t travel downstream. A number of different suburbs within each catchment are inspected each year.
Where priority invasive plants are found on a property, Sunshine Coast Council officers help landholders to prioritise management or where the amount of invasive plants is significant Council officers can assist residents to make a pest management plan for their property
Council officers provide education to residents on:
- how to identify an invasive plant
- how to control invasive plants
- what native plants are suitable for revegetation
Where priority invasive plants have been found during an inspection, a reinspection is undertaken to assess the success of control work.
Industry program
Industry program
Protecting Sunshine Coasts Biodiversity by responding to breaches of Biosecurity Act 2014
Target species
All priority invasive plants declared under the Local Government Area Biosecurity Plan 2017 and the Biosecurity Act 2014
Schedule
Ongoing
Location
Nurseries on the Sunshine Coast and online stores distributing to the Sunshine Coast
Protection methods
Together with Biosecurity Queensland Sunshine Coast Council officers respond to reports of sale or distribution of invasive plants declared under the Biosecurity Act 2014 by:
- Seize and destroy plants
- Providing education to nursery owners about plants they can and cannot sell.
- Providing industries with information on plants that cannot be sold
- Undertaking re-inspections of nurseries that have previously sold invasive pest plants