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MPA embarks on a program to control pepper tree

/>Mackay Port Authority environmental manager Bill Boylson and Greg Brown with a stand of pepper tree in the port's conservation area.

The Mackay Port Authority has declared war on a Brazilian "import" that’s threatening native wildlife and sensitive plant communities in the port’s conservation area at Slade Point.
The broad leaved pepper tree - a Class 3 Declared Pest in Queensland - is becoming a serious threat to Australian ecosystems, particularly in coastal regions and wetlands such as the MPA's conservation areas.
The tree is a native of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay and was introduced and promoted as an ornamental shrub.
MPA environmental manager Bill Boylson said a 10 week campaign was underway to eradicate the "pest" from port owned land. The immediate program will cost the MPA $40 000, though further ongoing management will be required on port and other lands to effectively eradicate the weed.
Fruiting and seed dispersal predominantly occurs over winter - which is why now is a good time to get in and clean it up, he said.
The tree poses a major threat to native vegetation and to agricultural industries.
It's an environmental threat as it colonises areas, forming dense thickets which dominate under storey vegetation. It out-competes and therefore replaces native grasses, ground covers and shrubs.
This domination of native vegetation reduces the biodiversity of the wetland ecosystem which reduces the quality of the native habitat for native species and is likely to mean less native wildlife populating our lands.
The trees can also host some citrus diseases, which pose a further threat to agriculture.
About 25 per cent of our land has been set aside for conservation purposes - so we are determined to keep this pest out, he said.