When the invasive aquatic weed, Amazon Frogbit, was first spotted along the Georges River in May 2019, authorities swung into action in a bid to eradicate it as soon as possible.
There was concern that left to its own devices the weed would wreak havoc to biodiversity in the river’s eco system.
It was the first time that Amazon Frogbit, pictured above, had been found in open waters in NSW.
Campbelltown City Council worked in partnership with Georges Riverkeeper, Liverpool City Council and the NSW Department of Primary Industries through funding from the NSW Weed Action Program to map the extent of the weed’s spread and then set about eradicating it from the river.
“Early detection of invasive species in our natural ecosystems is important and our team did a brilliant job in ensuring this weed was quickly brought under control and eventually eradicated,” says Mayor George Brticevic.
“The Georges River is one of our great environmental assets and it is important that its biodiversity is protected,” Cr Brticevic said.
“People should be diligent when purchasing plants online or through market vendors as some plants are illegal to grow and can be incredibly harmful when released into our local environment,” he said.
“This is also a reminder that people should be careful when disposing of any plants and make sure they put them in the correct bins.”
The work of Council staff in eradicating the infestation from the Georges River has now been recognised in the 2020 Local Government NSW excellence in the environment awards.
The project took out Division C and as overall winner in the invasive species management award category.
The Koalatown campaign was also recognised with a highly commended award in the communication, education and empowerment category.
