In scenic Sydney we’re lucky to have quite a few patches of “urban
bushland” dotted around the traps that have been mercifully
spared from the bulldozers.
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| Unblemished Sydney bushland |
The sad truth though, is that most of these remnants are
being smothered by introduced invasive weeds, used as convenient dumpsites and
are fast losing their (once) amazing biodiversity.
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| This ancient Banksia has been smothered to death by introduced weeds |
Just look along the fence lines of properties backing onto
bushland and you’ll discover, almost universally, the same story, a total
disconnection from and lack of
respect for the natural vegetation.
Sydney homeowners invariably seem to grow plant species that “escape” from
their gardens into the bush (such as Agapanthus) and “out compete” the fragile natives. They also turn a blind eye to (and neglect to tackle) destructive
weeds such as Morning Glory, Lantana, Ginger Lily and Privet that thrive on the
fertilizers washed out of their flower beds.
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| Ginger Lily, Fishbone Fern and Morning Glory will totally replace fragile native plants. |
To compound this problem they tend
to think that it’s their god given right to hurl garden clippings, unwanted
bricks and scrap metal into the bush, providing species of unwanted weeds from
around the globe, a perfect springboard to assault our fragile native flora.
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| Almost everyone grows this same boring weed species called Agapanthus |
The upshot is that Sydney
bushland, far from being the richly diverse “larder” that sustained indigenous
peoples for millennia, or the wondrous spectacle that would have greeted
Captain Cook and his crew, is fast disappearing before our very eyes.
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| A typical Sydney fenceline..the yellow (Senna) and blue (Morning Glory) are strangling the bushland. |
Worryingly,
virtually no one living next to bushland appears to have any knowledge of what’s
happening, very few are inclined to
retain or grow endemic native plants on their land, are bothered to remove weed
species or express concern at the disturbing rate of land degradation (apart
from isolated “Bushcare” groups).
Indeed, almost the only
interaction between residents and bushland is the increasingly popular practice of poisoning surviving Eucalyptus trees to enhance views. Some people also
have a habit of moving into bushland suburbs for the natural beauty values only
to then complain about the fire risks and lobby for greater “hazard reduction”
zones.
There is an incredible
amount of ignorance in the community about native flora and fauna, so most
residents would fail to distinguish between native plants and the introduced
species that are fast replacing them. If the trend continues, our natural areas
will just become one big weedy desert. As a consequence the birds, animals and
insects that relay on native plants for their food source, will vanish too.
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| When native plants disappear, so does most biodiversity |
So what’s the
solution? Residents whose houses back
onto bushland, should be encouraged to learn more about their “duty of care”,
prompted to remove invasive plants species from their gardens and fined for
doing the “wrong thing”. Councils and government should be much more proactive
in regards to community education (as should our schools). According to the
Australian Conservation Foundation, people today recognise less than 10 plant
species but more than a thousand corporate logos.
Australia these days is populated by people from around the
world. Not surprisingly, most have little understanding or awareness of this
nation’s natural heritage and many have an unnatural fear of this continent’s
nature. I believe new citizens should have to learn not just about the nation’s
history but about its natural history.
It doesn’t help that
TV “gardening” shows totally ignore the
plants that grow naturally in this country and concentrate on promoting only
exotic hybrids and cultivars. Who is going to protest the loss of something
that the community doesn’t even realise is going? The reality is that it would
take a massive capital expenditure to substantially and professionally restore
areas of degraded bushland plus a political will that just doesn’t exist ( most
current rehabilitation programs are small scale and cosmetic).
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| Gardening "experts" will never tell you about native Boronias! |
The trouble is, once
you possess the knowledge that urban bushland is in deep crisis, a walk in your
local reserve will never be quite the joyful experience that it once was.
In a society that puts such a high premium on beauty and
good looks...where did it all go so horribly wrong?
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| Fancy a walk amongst the weeds?? |
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A few community members have seen the light and are caring for
remnant bushland. |
