Collaboration tends to lead to better conservation outcomes, and this certainly appears to be the case for a recent weed management volunteer activity at Mongolurring Nature Reserve. Acquired by Nature Foundation in 2024 through its donation by a generous benefactor, the 1,200-hectare mallee woodland Mongolurring Nature Reserve is located on Ngadjuri country, near Mount Bryan East in South Australia’s mid north.
An initial vegetation assessment conducted by volunteers in late 2024 identified widespread African Boxthorn (Lycium ferocissum), and reserve management activities have focused on controlling this invasive weed. As tends to be the case with weeds, this is not an isolated issue, with African Boxthorn also affecting nearby Caroona Creek Conservation Park.
Nature Foundation staff and volunteers joined forces with local National Parks and Wildlife Service of SA staff and Friends of Burra Parks volunteers for a combined attack on African Boxthorn at both sites across a three-day assignment in early September.
The first day focused on Caroona Creek Conservation Park. In addition to undertaking African Boxthorn control in priority areas of the park, the Nature Foundation team were treated to an overview of the park's history and the various activities undertaken by the Friends of Burra Parks volunteers over the decades, including a tour of the stone restoration work at Tourilie Hut.
Over the next two days, the combined group tackled African Boxthorn at Mongolurring Nature Reserve, including a look at the newly replaced southern boundary fence (funded by donations through recent Forever Nature Fund and Vital Work Appeals), which will prevent neighbouring stock from accessing the reserve, and act as a deterrent for feral goats.
Conservation Land Manager Kelsey Bennett also showed the group one of the rust fungus biocontrol research sites, part of a recent collaboration with CSIRO. In late July, an approved biocontrol agent was released at five sites across Mongolurring to understand its effects on African Boxthorn better. Read more about this project here.
Initial monitoring of all five sites indicates that the rust fungus has infected most of the plants it was released on, though with a low infection rate. We have provided these results to CSIRO to contribute to their overarching research. Future monitoring of the biocontrol agent's impacts on African Boxthorn at Mongolurring will continue opportunistically.
While we are excited to explore innovative weed control methods such as biocontrol, management of African Boxthorn continues to focus on minimal-disturbance techniques, including cut and swab, drill and fill, and grubbing, which involves digging out the roots of the plant. Collaboration between the groups also offered the opportunity to exchange experiences and share preferred weed control methods.
The activity at Mongolurring Nature Reserve saw 235 individual African Boxthorn plants controlled over a 4.2-hectare area, with all plants and treatment methods mapped in Nature Foundation’s Integrated Reserve Management System, allowing us to record actions and accurately track progress and their long-term impacts on biodiversity across the nature reserve.
Our thanks go to the Nature Foundation volunteers, National Parks and Wildlife Service of SA staff and Friends of Burra Parks volunteers, for their contribution and efforts. It’s wonderful to work together against a shared pest!
Learn more about and register your interest in joining Nature Foundation’s Volunteer Program here.