The Brumby Government has launched the new Victorian Blackberry Strategy for 2008-2013 to help tackle one of State's most destructive and challenging weeds.

Speaking during a visit to north-east Victoria in November 2008, Minister for Agriculture, Joe Helper said the new strategy sets out the vision for controlling blackberry across the state, with goals, objectives and accompanying strategic actions for the next five years.

The strategy promotes a community-led and long-term approach to blackberry management, with improved coordination of blackberry management across all land tenures.

"Blackberry is one of Australia's 20 Weeds of National Significance and one of Victoria's four State Priority Weeds due to its highly invasive nature, potential to spread and the environmental and economic damage it causes," Mr Helper said.

"Blackberry threatens our biodiversity and affects almost nine million hectares of grazing land.

"It costs approximately $100 million annually in control and lost production and this is a rise on the $60 million from surveys in the 1980s."

Chair of the Victorian Blackberry Taskforce, Lyn Coulston said the new strategy recognises an integrated and long-term approach across public and private land is needed. It recognises that community weed management is a successful and sustainable approach to reducing the spread of blackberry.

"Effective management of blackberry requires an understanding of the impacts on biodiversity and production and a shared commitment from all land managers to reduce those impacts. This is only possible by using integrated control methods such as chemical, mechanical and biocontrol and a consistent approach." she said.

"The key aim is to prevent new infestations, reduce current infestations, rehabilitate previously infested land and support land managers with up to date information about the best ways to achieve good results"

Ms Coulston said the new strategy had five overarching goals:

• 1. Create greater community responsibility for integrated blackberry control.
• 2. Maximise opportunities to expand investment in an ongoing blackberry control program.
• 3. Ensure blackberry programs are delivered and managed so they are ecologically and socially sustainable.
• 4. Ensure strategic blackberry management is coordinated across all land tenures.
• 5. Strengthen the capabilities and capacity of Victorian communities to anticipate and adjust to economic, social and environmental challenges and opportunities, ensuring ongoing commitment to blackberry control practices.

Mr Helper said landholders are urged to be aware of the new strategy and the successful  community-led programs that are already occurring to help landholders meet their weed management responsibilities.

"Only by working together in a community-led attack over the long-term will we be able to make head-way against blackberry," he said.

Copies of the Victorian Blackberry Strategy 2008-2013 are available from Stuart Roberton at DPI Wodonga (02) 6043 7965. The document is also available for download on the Victorian Blackberry Taskforce website: http://www.vicblackberrytaskforce.com.au/  

Monday August the 4^th marked the premiere, ‘Blackberry management is more than science - The story of the North East Blackberry Action Group. ' The twenty five minute documentary outlines how the upper Murray community have begun to manage blackberry in their area.

The documentary was developed in conjunction with La Trobe University, as apart of the Victorian Blackberry Taskforces (VBT) approach to encourage greater community involvement in blackberry management.

Dr. Brian Furze, head of Social Sciences at LaTrobe Albury Wodonga said,

‘We have focused on capturing local experiences and on the process the group has used.

The documentary will also be used as an electronic teaching tool for students at Latrobe's Bundoora and Albury Wodonga campuses.

‘It will provide examples for students on the complexity of natural resource management and emphasises the importance of taking a landscape-wide community based approach.'

Lyn Coulston, chair of the Victorian Blackberry Taskforce said,

‘We have made the documentary so that other community groups can share the experiences of the NEBAG.'

‘We hope that it will provide options for other community groups who may want to adopt a similar approach.'

To obtain a copy of the documentary for your community group please contact Michael Reid, Victorian Blackberry Coordinator, at the Wodonga Office on (02) 437975.

The Mitta region has become a part of the North-East Blackberry Action Group and received $10,000 from the Victorian Blackberry Taskforce.

The taskforce promotes community ownership of blackberry management by employing the community weed model.

The model encourages all land managers to accept responsibility for the management of their blackberry and supports them to achieve positive results in an agreed timeframe.

Community-driven projects have achieved some remarkable results across the state.
"Their success is due to local knowledge and local interest, and coming up with ways to overcome the barriers to sustainable blackberry management," said Victorian Blackberry Taskforce Chairperson Lyn Coulston.

The Upper Murray Steering Committee is sending letters to landholders. The committee is excited about reducing the spread of blackberry across the valley and looks forward to seeing the landscape change within a few years.

Hugh Paton from Mitta was presented with a cheque from Lyn Coulston, Victorian Blackberry Taskforce Chair.

Michael Reid, Victorian Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Blackberry Coordinator said ‘Blackberries have a major impact on grazing potential, biodiversity and the use of the natural environment.’

“Large blackberry infestations can drastically reduce on-farm returns through a reduction in the carrying capacity of pastures and also harbour feral animals,” Mr Reid.

“Blackberry is one of the twenty weeds of National significance and is estimated to cost Australia $100 million annually in control and lost production.”

However, when blackberries became too much of a thorn in the side for landholders in north-eastern Victoria, the locals decided to take the issue into their own hands. In 2005 the North East Blackberry Action Group was formed, an initiative of the Upper Murray Landcare Network.

In March 2008 the group celebrated their outstanding success by showcasing their approach to private landholders, local government and representatives from State Government Departments from Victoria and NSW. Over forty-five people attended and were bussed around Burrowye, Walwa, Tintaldra and Cudgewa to see presentations on the different management approaches used to control blackberry infestations.

The group is a leading example of how a small group of thoughtful and committed people can get together to make great inroads to generating change in their landscape. They generally meet four times a year with fifteen land management groups, including 8 Landcare Groups, farmers, the Towong Shire Council, plantation owners, Parks Victoria, the Department of Sustainability and Environment and VicRoads involved in the action group.

Group Project officer, Damian Wall, works with landholders across the region through direction from the action group. Three-year voluntary blackberry management agreements are negotiated with landholders and management techniques are also discussed. Weed mapping is also initiated by the group, using global positioning technology, to pinpoint infestations on private and public land, and roadsides. The maps are then given to land managers so they can coordinate future works in conjunction with the group.

Chairperson Lyn Coulston said the majority of the success can be attributed to the enthusiasm of the Steering Committee, community support and close partnerships between the different land managers.

“Discussions with private land managers show that those with serious blackberry problems often see no way forward and those around them think they are poor land managers, causing them to become reluctant to take action’ Ms Coulston said.

“However, often all is needed is an outsider to come in and listen, provide information and support and then they get on with it.

“Also getting access to blackberry infestations is the largest single barrier to treatment”

The Upper Murray project area is characterised by steep slopes, and sits only a stones throw away from Victorian and New South Wales ski slopes.

“We are able to give landholders a helping hand by providing a contribution to the cost of installing access tracks in some cases. Where blackberry is threatening quality remnant vegetation or riparian areas it is important to act quickly to protect these assets and then work to keep them free of blackberry while other areas of the property are being treated,” Ms Coulston said.

“This allows the farmers to get into the hard to reach country areas and permits them to continue follow-up spraying,

“The program isn’t just about removing blackberry, we are starting to witness landscape change as once infested areas are reclaimed for production and in steep areas information about management of the existing native pastures is provided.”

In 2005, Ms Coulston was elected chair of the Victorian Blackberry Taskforce (VBT), comprising community and Departmental representatives and funded through the National Heritage Trust and Victorian DPI. The VBT provides a state-wide approach to blackberry management.

“The Taskforce has been investing in partnership approaches to try and duplicate the north east’s success. That is why it is important to have field days to demonstrate what community groups are capable of achieving,” Ms Coulston said.

Mr Reid said he is helping to facilitate the roll-out of similar partnerships programs across the State.

“It’s great to see how well the North East Blackberry Action Group has been empowered and taken ownership of blackberry control across the region,” Mr Reid said.

A similar approach to this community weed model is also being used by DPI around the State to control serrated tussock and gorse.

“One of the most important aspects of being successful in establishing these groups is working with communities rather than trying to provide the answers,” Mr Reid said.

“A lot of time is invested in working with interested parties across the state, explaining the process and determining genuine interests of potential partnerships.

“This model will not work everywhere across Victoria due to the diversity of land managers’ attitudes and awareness of weed issues.”

A documentary on the group’s journey is currently being filmed by Dr. Brian Furze at La Trobe University which will be available by June 2008.

Achievements to date from the North East Blackberry Action Group include:

• Over 2,500 hectares of blackberry have been treated,
• 49 land managers on voluntary work agreements,
• 783 kilometers of roadside mapping has been completed,
• 34 kilometers of access tracks built.