Directly Citing IPBES Report on Invasive Alien Species, Australian Commits $2.2m to Reduce Threat of Buffel Grass

Description of Impact(s) (English Only) "The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has recognised buffel grass’s potential to completely take over arid ecosystems, forcing out native plant and animal species," said the South Australian government as it announced that the state's Landscape Priorities Fund and the Alinytjara Wilurara Landscape Board (AWLB) will jointly contribute more than $2.2M to a multi-agency buffel grass program.

"The IPBES’s Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and their Control has been welcomed by the South Australian Government and the Alinytjara Wilurara Landscape Board (AWLB), which has led the fight against buffel grass in remote parts of the state for more than a decade," read the press release issued by the entities. The organizations stated that "buffel grass is a threat to remote Indigenous communities in Australia because it causes heightened fire risk, damage to cultural sites, and a reduction in the ability to pass on cultural knowledge to the next generation," and that "left unmanaged, the weed poses a threat to grazing and cropping systems because it spreads quickly in hotter, stormier weather."

Dr. Ellen Ryan-Colton, South Australian contributor to IPBES report, said "IPBES is at the forefront of including Indigenous knowledge in their reporting and recognising the effects on human communities." Likewise, Alinytjara Wilurara Landscape Board Chair Mick Haynes said, "the IPBES report is encouraging, especially the mention of the impact such invasive species have on the wellbeing and quality of life of human populations."