Increasing Community Engagement in Townsville Coastal Catchments for Biodiversity Project
Funded by the Australian Government's Caring for our Country program.

Activities and Events

Bluewater Creek | Bohle Northshore | Bohle Riparian | Bohle Wetland | Clemant Wetlands | Cocoa Creek | Community Nurseries | Creekwatch | Cungulla Foreshore | Cungulla Wetland | GBR Habitat | Geoffrey and Alma Bay | Horseshoe Bay Habitat | Horseshoe Bay School | M.I. Weed Awareness | Mundy Creek | Nelly Bay Catchment | Nelly Bay Turtle | Northern Beaches | Oak Valley Finch | Paluma Catchment | Petersen Creek | Rainforest Birds Book | Ross River | Rowes Bay Foreshore | Rowes Bay Wetlands | Saunders Beach | Toomulla Foreshore | Town Common Bike Trail | Town Common Concept | Town Common Volunteers | Townsville Planning Scheme

Short Title: MI Weed Awareness

Magnetic Island Environmental Weed Awareness

Location: Magnetic Island

Organisation: Magnetic Island Community Development Association

Project Summary:

A BIOBLITZ WEEKEND to form a core activity of Bay Days Festival 2011. Community participation in a project to collect, identify and record plant specimens with a focus on the gardens, parks, verges, dead end roads and green space in the lowlands of Magnetic Island.

 Bioblitz was held on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 September 2011.

(Note: Bioblitz originated in the UK and we are adapting the ideas and success from elsewhere to design a series of projects for Magnetic Island that will span a number of years.)

What the Project Entails:

Over the course of one weekend the entire Island community was asked to participate in a project that will collect, identify then record as many specimens as possible from a particular area. In 2011 this was done by inviting residents to focus on their gardens, parks, verges, "no through road" ends and open land in the lowlands of Magnetic Island.

Specimens or recordings were taken to a central point where a team of experts identified the samples and where necessary photographed (or go out to the location and re-photograph) the specimen.

The "live web" team upload the photographs onto a new section of the www.whatsonmagneticisland.com.au website together with descriptors.

This is done by type of specimen and location including: Grasses, Native flowering plants suitable for gardens (and found in the bush), Weeds, Trees, Birds, Insects etc.

The programme is designed with a simple set of instructions, that ensure that the natural environment is not harmed, and should rare or endangered specimens be discovered they are not damaged. (e.g. can you see a lot? - then pick one, can you only see one or a few? - then photograph.)

Where specimens are easily collected (e.g. small plants, grasses) participants will beare invited to pick. Animals are photographed, or described.

Outcomes and benefits:

Magnetic Island is within a World Heritage Area (part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area) with a significant proportion of the island under National Park (NP). The size of the NP is set to increase when additional Unallocated State land (USL) is gazetted. While being part of this unique environment many residents still see their home as just another 'suburb' of Townsville with no special values.

Halting the spread of weeds is of considerable importance when every bay has significant USL / National Park   boundaries shared with urban areas and domestic gardens.

Every bay has ephemeral watercourses that suffer from both weed infestation and rubbish dumping.

The cost of water supply on Magnetic Island (although charged out at the City-wide rate) is significantly more than on the mainland due to pumping costs. Any opportunity to espouse Waterwise gardening and the use of native, drought-tolerant plants is of benefit to the overall environment.

Many residents want to learn more about the Island, as demonstrated by the large numbers who attend any environmental workshop / talk / walk that is held.

Completed actions and events: