Pests: Plants and Animals
Pest Animals
The following pest animals have been recognised as having a detrimental impact on the natural environment.
Council actively manages these species in conservation areas to reduce their impact on Brimbank's precious native plants and animals.
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Pest Animal
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Impact of Pest Animal
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Action
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Rabbit
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Erosion, spread weeds, damage/death to native vegetation and competition with native animals for food.
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Annual control program undertaken from December to April across a number of selected sites - Council undertakes annual surveys of all listed conservation sites to determine the program.
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Hare
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Damage/death to vegetation, spread weeds and competition with native animals for food.
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Included as part of the annual rabbit control program.
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Fox
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Spread weeds, erosion, kill native animals and spread diseases.
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Annual surveys undertaken to determine program - no current program.
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Goat
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Erosion, compact soil, damage/death of native vegetation and spread weeds.
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Conservation team reports indicate no current goat problems.
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Bee
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Beehives take nesting hollows from native animals and out compete native bees.
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Council removes beehives when reported from conservation areas.
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European Wasp
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Hives take nesting hollows, predation on native insects and are a danger to humans and animals.
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Council removes hives when reported from conservation areas.
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Weeds
Brimbank's biodiversity also involves the plants which grow in private gardens, roadsides and open space which did not originate from the local area.
All life contributes to biodiversity, some plants and animals however have damaging effects on native flora and fauna, agriculture and open space, these plants and animals are referred to as pests.
What is a weed?
Weeds are plants which are not in the right place. In gardens a weed can take over the environment and the same can happen in a natural area.
Weeds can be introduced through a number of ways - by climbing the garden fence (garden escapees), being blown by the wind, transferred from vehicles (mowers, four wheel drives, farm equipment), introduced in stock feed or dumping of plant material.
Further Information
Department of Primary Industries
For more information on Brimbank Weeds
For weed classifications in Victoria and an A-Z listing
Environmental Weeds
For more information call 9249 4000 or email info@brimbank.vic.gov.au
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