The Protecting the Wilderness Project commenced in 2007, under the premise that the coast of the Bega Valley Shire is one of the least weed-degraded coastal landscapes in south-eastern Australia and that timely weed control measures can maintain this status and accrue great environmental and economic benefit.
The project originally received a grant from the NSW Environmental Trust (first 7 years), and is now funded by the Bega Valley Shire Council, Southeast Local Land Services, National Parks and Wildlife Service, Eurobodalla Shire Council, Marine Estate and various volunteer coastal Landcare groups.
Coast weeds is hosted by FSCLA and employs Luke Hamilton as project officer. Luke leads two 10 week duration 'sweeps' a year by crews from Local Aboriginal Land Councils along all local beaches, removing beach weeds and litter. The crews also control weeds around local settlements at the request of and in collaboration with the coastal Landcare groups. On occasions a professional contractor/abseiler has engaged to deal with weeds in dangerous and inaccessible sites.
Luke continuously monitors weed problems along the coast and advises volunteer groups and agencies on issues and strategies and develops the contractor's work schedule.
Since poorly chosen and managed garden plants are the principal weed threat 'awareness raising' is a key element of the project. Various media are employed including field days, newsletters, newspaper articles, brochures.
The project has been highly successful in reducing the incidence of the key beach weeds, sea spurge and beach daisy, which are now vastly less common than at the project's commencement. Control of these species once absorbed the greater part of volunteer groups' time and energy. The groups are now able to concentrate on other projects, particularly revegetation works.

For details on the key weeds and how you can get involved please see this link to the Atlas of life 

Check out our Coastal weeds video - link here 

NOTE: Vital funding has been secured for this project thanks to Bega Valley Shire Council, SE Local Land Services, National Parks, Eurobodalla Shire Council and Marine Estate.

Luke Hamilton with a ute full of sharp rush removed from Bithry Inlet

Luke Hamilton with Stuart Cameron discussing weed mapping/GPS on the ipad

Key target weed - sea spurge

Very significant progress has also been made in controlling bitou, boneseed, lantana, boxthorn, pampas grass, mirror bush and crofton weed, all species with the potential to massively degrade local environments but present only at a few 'bridgehead' sites locally. A current survey has established that major progress has been made in controlling these species in the past year.