Jindong success: Locals see results of hard work

If there’s one powerful lesson learned when it comes to controlling arum lilies, it’s that tackling these invasive and damaging environmental weeds is a team effort, says Nature Conservation Margaret River Region.

And nowhere is that more apparent than among neighbouring landowners, where neighbours working together can stop the spread of arum lilies in their tracks – but one landholder who doesn’t do arum lily control can let down a whole street or suburb, causing a re-infestation.

In the Jindong area, Cameron and Lindsey Powell are tackling the spread of arum lilies which left unchecked will decimate native bush and ruin habitat for wildlife.

“The arum lily is such a prolific spreader, it’s important that everyone in the community gets on board with removing it and seeing it as the terrible invasive weed it is,” Cameron said. “Otherwise, it will only re-infest previously eradicated areas again.”

The couple’s property is a combination of farmland with remnant bushland including some dense, high quality forested areas – a rarity in this locality which has been largely cleared for farming.

As well as spraying to control arum lily and spreading native seed to encourage more native plants to return, Cameron has been busy fencing off remnant bushland to protect it from grazing stock.

“This vegetation as we know is so important to our soil health, carbon cycling and water cycles as well as proving habitat for our animals. Which all are so important to maintaining the health and resilience of the land that nourishes us.”

At first, he said the “intense infestation” of arum lily was daunting – but consistency over time has yielded astonishing results. Funding through the City of Busselton’s involvement in the “4 LGAs/1 Weed” program has enabled contractors to focus on protecting more than 60 acres of remnant bushland on their property.

“It’s very easy to become disheartened given the scale of the problem we are dealing with, wondering if we are making a difference or if we will ever have success,” he said.

“But great advice from others I have relied on is to be consistent. Don’t expect to transform landscapes in a season or completely remove invasive species overnight. The key is to have a consistent effort at it and over time you will see the results from all the hard work.”

Cameron said it can be a good idea to “break things down into small chunks to make it manageable, such as setting grid maps for the areas you want to improve and setting realistic targets for which grids you want to complete in certain timeframes”.

“Keeping good records will make this easier, including photographs to see in real time the good results to all your efforts.

“Considering the unique nature of this area, we believe it’s very important we continue to protect this area and to be responsible caretakers of the land to ensure the native vegetation not only remains resilient to external pressures, but can also thrive.”

Nature Conservation Margaret River Region’s Arum Lily Blitz coordinates the effort to control arum lilies, with free resources, workshops, herbicide and in some cases cost-sharing for 2000-plus landholders who are signed up, protecting an area spanning 23,000 hectares.

For landholders on larger properties who cannot deal with infestations on their own, Nature Conservation’s Bush Regeneration Team can be hired to carry out arum control. See www.natureconservation.org.au.