After almost four years of collaboration, the biosecurity plan for Amazon frogbit has been finalised!
CAFNEC has been working alongside FNQ Regional Organisation of Councils, Mareeba Shire Council, Mitchell River Watershed Management, Qld Water & Land Carers, Wet Tropics Waterways and key individuals including Paul Fisk, to develop this plan while also managing current and emerging infestations.
Amazon frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) is an introduced aquatic plant which was first detected in the Wet Tropics region in McCutcheon, Cassowary Coast, in 2010. This was also the first detection of it as a naturalised plant in Queensland. Known from naturalised sites in the Cairns lowlands (where it is now removed), it was first recognised as a serious weed in the Mareeba/Atherton Tableland area of North Queensland in 2016.
Amazon frogbit is a highly invasive aquatic weed that chokes out other native species and stops sunlight penetrating the water, disrupting the natural ecosystem. Currently Frogbit is not a regulated species under the Queensland Biosecurity Act 2014 and there is no funding from the State or Federal government to address the problem.
In 2020 it was detected in the Peterson Creek, a tributary of Tinaroo Falls Dam. Biosecurity agencies, councils, volunteers and Muluridji Tribal Aboriginal Corporation (MTAC) have responded to this threat with management programs, community actions, and public education efforts. A network of interested parties has formed to progress the management of Amazon frogbit in the Wet Tropics (and adjoining) bioregions in the form of a working group facilitated by CAFNEC to develop the response plan.
The Amazon frogbit Biosecurity Response Plan provides an overview of the weed’s management options, invasive biology, and impacts. It makes recommendations regarding management actions required to respond to the current infestations and to prevent spread to new catchments in the Wet Tropics (and neighbouring regions). The plan also outlines the current legislative requirements and future options supported by a communication, education, and engagement plan.
Download and read the full plan here:
Developed in proud partnership
