As prickly acacia has become one of Australia’s worst invasive weeds, an innovative approach is taking hold in Queensland to fight back on this invasive pest. This invasive bushy plant, whose thorny stems can puncture bike tires, first arrived in the area during the early 1900s. Today, it has become a significant danger to native ecosystems and agricultural yield. Given an estimated annual cost to landholders of $27.5 million in lost production, the stakes are incredibly high. This is the focus of a new Desert Channels Queensland (DCQ) trial, to gauge whether camels are the best option for controlling this invasive species.
The trial includes 32 camels covering a massive Ingerrekeilha 40,000-hectare property. Researchers are pumping them full of Prickly Acacia and keeping a watchful eye on their effects, as the seasons cycle. Geoff Penton manages the second phase of the trial. He suggests that while camels will never fully eliminate the weed from Kenya’s roads, they are important in containing its spread. If left unchecked, Prickly Acacia could dominate up to 95 percent of the Mitchell Grass Downs in just five years.
The Impact of Prickly Acacia
Prickly Acacia has spread rapidly in a region that covers more than 470,000 square kilometers across Queensland and into the Northern Territory. Its aggressive growth habit outcompetes native vegetation, converting grassland into a monoculture of the non-native flowering plant. This pernicious invader imperils local ecosystems and represents an extraordinary economic cost to landowners.
For more than 20 years, David Batt has been employing camels on his 80,000-hectare cattle and sheep station. He walks us through the advantages of this one of a kind approach. “It’s paid off — we’ve got to the point here where it’s fairly easily manageable now,” he states. Though Batt has yet to quantify the savings from reduced herbicide intervention, he is confident the financial relief is significant.
The perfect ratio for managing Prickly Acacia is one camel for every 1,000 invasive plants. That doesn’t mean the camels stop the weeds from killing them. Instead they kill nearly 30 percent of the flowers through mechanical damage, which limits their ability to reproduce and spread. Penton highlights this aspect by mentioning that “they stop them from spreading as much seed.”
A Sustainable Alternative to Herbicides
Paul Keegan supports maximizing use of camels to munch on weeds. He calls on land managers to use this approach rather than blanket herbicide spraying. He cautions that Prickly Acacia’s flower and seed production must be dealt with through a coordinated strategy by landholders. Without it, they’ll be stuck in a dangerous cycle of endless spraying.
The camels will do the rest of it,” Keegan foreshadows. This one health perspective addresses the challenge of invasive species—both in their introduction and spread. It protects the environment from the harm that chemical herbicides inflict.
As a component of the live field trial, researchers are keen to observe the camels’ interactions with Prickly Acacia and other native vegetation. Camels’ amazing adaptation skill is revealed when they eat thorn bushes. They are often seen in company with other flora, including brilliant round yellow flowers, abundant in the same habitat.
The Future of Weed Management
We are optimistic that the DCQ trial is an important new step towards discovering sustainable solutions for managing troublesome invasive species such as Prickly Acacia. By creatively combining the benefits of traditional livestock with cutting-edge practices, landholders can not only cut their herbicide usage – they can support healthier ecosystems and economies.
As this initiative carries on, other landholders will no doubt use camels as a more effective option to eradicate invasive weed species. Action on achieving ecological balance helps achieve economic savings. This unique combination makes a powerful case for using this approach on a broader scale.
