Tasmania treated invasive grass; fish species more than doubled in 3 years
A long-term restoration project in Tasmania has successfully removed invasive rice grass from Duck Bay, leading to a significant increase in native fish species. The effort involved local volunteers, farmers, and scientists using mechanical and chemical methods to restore the coastal wetland ecosystem.
Why it matters
This demonstrates the effectiveness of community-led environmental restoration in reversing ecological damage and supporting biodiversity in critical coastal habitats.
A major effort to remove invasive rice grass from Tasmania’s Duck Bay is showing major signs of recovery, with native vegetation returning and the number of fish species rising from five to 11. The changes came within just two to three years of the weed being removed from parts of the wetland.The restoration work is being carried out by Circular Head Landcare, which has spent almost 15 years trying to eradicate rice grass from Tasmania’s largest coastal wetlands, according to ABC news. The group, with support from farmers, has reduced the weed from about 50 hectares to just five hectares.Scientists from Univrersity of Tasmania studying the wetland also found that fish were not only returning but were using the restored saltmarsh areas for feeding.
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