Act now to save Litchfield
Litchfield’s on the line - add your name to protect our Park today.
Litchfield National Park is a jewel of the Top End. Its waterfalls, hikes and wildlife make it our most popular Park for locals and tourists, all year round.
All of this is at risk due to the spread of gamba grass, which changes landscapes, destroys biodiversity and fuels fires which are dangerous to visitors and the park’s future. Super-charged by gamba that’s been allowed to spread out of control, a big fire season could ruin our park.
A recent report revealed gamba grass has rapidly expanded in the Park over the past seven years, with infestations now covering ~30,000 ha. This is the largest gamba grass infestation in a national park in Australia.
Without proper investment in weed control, gamba grass will cover nearly a third of Litchfield within a decade and eventually lead to ecosystem collapse.
We have to make sure that the Northern Territory Government takes gamba seriously and gives Litchfield Park what it needs to get gamba under control now. Pressure from the community right now will make a huge difference and help save our Park.
Join the call for the NT Government to urgently act and provide enough resources including a dedicated skilled workforce to protect Litchfield National Park.
Like everyone in the Top End and visitors from all over, I love Litchfield. But I’m worried about the threat to our Park from gamba grass, which has already been allowed to spread to cover huge sections of the Park.
If left uncontrolled, gamba can fuel fires up to 12 metres high that burn much hotter than native grass fires. Every Wet season that passes without sufficient action on gamba enables the seeds to spread and sets us up for more catastrophic fires.
We still have time to turn this around. Protecting Litchfield – and its national position as a tourism drawcard – needs to be a priority.
A recent report, The cost of not acting: Delaying invasive grass management increases costs and threatens assets in a national park, northern Australia, revealed gamba grass has rapidly expanded in Litchfield National Park over the past seven years, with infestations now covering ~30,000 ha. This is the largest gamba grass infestation in a national park in Australia.
Without increased weed control, it’s predicted that gamba grass will cover more than 42,000 ha within a decade and eventually lead to ecosystem collapse.
Gamba grass has already invaded habitats that are home to endangered and vulnerable species and is also surrounding many popular visitor sites such as Florence Falls, Buley Rockhole and the Central Valley Campgrounds.
I’m calling on you to take gamba in Litchfield National Park seriously and to allocate the funding and staff needed to tackle gamba properly.
This includes an expanded eradication zone to better protect park assets, including popular sites such as Walker Creek, Buley Rockhole, Sandy Creek, Florence Falls and Central Valley campgrounds. This is estimated to cost a total of AU$7,140,000 over 10 years.
I want to see the NT Government commit to protecting Litchfield Park through an immediate investment in resources. This needs to start at $10 million over the next 10 years, and be scaled up as needed, for the future of tourism and biodiversity in Litchfield National Park.
Thank you,
Video credit: YouTube user Alexander ND Traveller