The residents of South West Sydney are being called on to help curb the spread of a highly invasive weed emerging in the region.
Greater Sydney Local Land Services is working with volunteer groups and other key agencies to limit the spread of tiger pear, a cactus closely related to prickly pear, with large spines which easily break off and cause painful injury to animals and humans.
“Tiger pear is regarded as the worst of all cactus species and already infests large parts of Queensland and New South Wales,’’ says Land Services officer Jenny Schabel.
“We are now starting to see smaller scale outbreaks in the South West,” she said.
“Once established it is a very difficult and potentially dangerous weed to control, so preventing it from incidental spread is crucial.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“Tiger pear can often be spread by people unknowingly either on their footwear or on vehicle tyres.”[/social_quote]
Ms Schabel said members of the Barragal Landcare Group had been working to remove the weed from a road in Camden to reduce the risk of it spreading further.
“We rely on community members to be our eyes and ears on the ground and report sightings of anything unusual like this weed because we can’t be everywhere at once.
“The insight of locals helps us better target our control efforts and ensure we are achieving maximum impact in stopping the spread,” Ms Schabel said.
“We have experienced officers who can provide best practice management advice and assistance with control options.
Residents are urged to report sightings of the weed or any known infestations to the Greater Sydney Local Land Services Penrith office on 4724 2100.
Find out more about tiger pear via the NSW DPI weedwise website.
