Invasive Species Queensland

06/02/2026

21/09/2025

14/07/2025

🤩 Looks pretty. 🛑 Destroys biodiversity.

From lantana smothering bushland to mother-of-millions creeping across the land, here in Queensland, we know how quickly a “harmless” garden plant can turn into an ecological nightmare.

🌿 Our unique ecosystems are under threat. We need stronger national action to stop the sale and spread of invasive species before it’s too late.

📢 Add your voice to demand real leadership on Australia’s w**dy plant crisis:
👉 https://invasives.org.au/how-to-help/take-action/show-your-support-to-stop-the-sale-of-w**ds-in-australia/

It’s colourful, common—and causing chaos. 🌸

Lantana is advertised in stores as a 'playful', 'drought-tolerant' and 'easy-to-grow' evergreen, but the reality far less rosy — it's now one of Australia’s worst invasive w**ds.

As with three-quarters of all invasive w**ds in Australia, Lantana started as an ornamental garden plant before it escaped and established across the Australian landscape.

Now it forms dense thickets that smother native bushland — and worse still, it continues to spread.

We're calling for:

✅ An assessment of garden plants currently sold through nurseries and garden centers to determine their risk to become invasive w**ds.
✅ National regulation to stop the sale of known and potential invasive w**ds to shoppers.
✅ Targeted funding to address the worst of the invasive w**ds already in our landscape, lantana, mother of millions, cats claw creeper, madeira vine and more.

Are you with us?

Sign our petition calling on the Federal Environment Minister to stop the sale of w**ds in Australia:

https://invasives.org.au/how-to-help/take-action/show-your-support-to-stop-the-sale-of-w**ds-in-australia/

04/07/2025

🌿 Great opportunities! Southern Gulf NRM is on the lookout for two passionate new team members to help protect and restore our landscapes. If you’re ready to tackle pests, w**ds, and environmental challenges, check out these roles 👇

🌱 Our team is growing!

Southern Gulf NRM is excited to be expanding and we’re looking for two new team members to come on board:

🔹 Pest & Weeds Project Officer
🔹 Environment Project Officer

If you're passionate about sustainable land management and ready to make an impact in the Southern Gulf region, apply now!

👉 Pest & Weeds Project Officer: https://www.seek.com.au/job/84929935?tracking=SHR-WEB-SharedJob-anz-1

👉 Environment Project Officer: https://www.seek.com.au/job/85098267?tracking=SHR-WEB-SharedJob-anz-1

03/07/2025

🌿 Saving Native Species: Tackling Environmental Threats in Mount Carbine Tableland

Feral pigs continue to cause widespread ecological damage in Far North Queensland. Their rooting and wallowing disturbs soils, destroys native vegetation, spreads soil borne pathogens and puts threatened species at risk.

In the Mount Carbine Tableland, feral pigs are one of several environmental threats being addressed through the Saving Native Species project - a landscape-scale conservation effort being led by Gulf Savannah NRM and supported by Desert Channels Group NQ Dry Tropics NRM Cape York Natural Resource Management Terrain NRM and Southern Gulf NRM

The project focuses on restoring critical habitat for species like the northern bettong and the yellow-bellied glider, using coordinated control methods such as trapping, ground shooting and habitat monitoring. These efforts help reduce pig populations, protect native flora and fauna, and support ecosystem recovery.

This collaborative work is a vital step in safeguarding the biodiversity of the Einasleigh Uplands and improving long-term ecological resilience.

🔗 Learn more about these efforts https://www.nrmrq.org.au/stepping-up-the-fight-against-queenslands-invasive-species/

Invasive species cost Queensland more than $20 billion each year. Now, Queensland’s regional NRM organisations are building on years of experience with new and innovative techniques to tackle these environmental threats.

20/06/2025

⚠️BIOSECURITY ALERT⚠️

Council's Environmental Services team has discovered the highly invasive Hudson Pear (a species of cactus) on a property near Hebel.
Council is requesting farmers, particularly on our NSW border area, to be on the lookout on their properties and report any cacti that look like the one pictured.

Hudson Pear can destroy grazing land, prevent most forms of outdoor recreation, and make access on horse-back virtually impossible. The reverse-barbed spines can injure livestock, humans and native animals, reducing or preventing grazing activities and productivity.

Please contact Environmental Services on 4620 8888
Or email [email protected] for further information and assistance.

20/06/2025

🚨 Ghost Snail Detected at Port of Brisbane – Public Vigilance Urged 🚨

Biosecurity authorities have confirmed that it will be several months before Australia can be declared free of the ghost snail (Bulimulus sporadicus), an invasive pest first detected at the Port of Brisbane in early 2025.

Native to the Seychelles, this exotic snail poses a serious threat to Australia’s environment and agriculture, with the potential to infest hundreds of plant species. A containment and eradication program is underway, but surveillance is ongoing.

Currently, the known detections have been limited to industrial areas around the Port of Brisbane, but the risk of spread via freight and plant material remains high.

What you can do:
• 🔍 Inspect imported goods, vehicles, pot plants, and landscaping materials
• 🚗 ❌ Avoid moving soil or plant material from the Brisbane port area
• 🐌 ☎️ Report any unusual snails or signs of plant damage

📞 Call Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23 to report sightings.

🔗 Read more via ABC News:

A leading biosecurity officer says it will be several months before Australia can be declared free of an invasive snail that has the potential to infest hundreds of plant species.

17/06/2025

🚨 Biosecurity Alert – Fire Ants Detected in Toowoomba 🚨

Red Imported Fire Ants have been found in the Cotswold Hills area of Toowoomba after being transported on machinery moved from a fire ant suppression zone.

This latest detection highlights how easily fire ants can spread via vehicles, machinery and equipment — often without obvious signs. These invasive pests pose a serious risk to agriculture, the environment, and our regional way of life.

ISQ encourages all Queenslanders, especially those in rural and regional communities, to remain vigilant and follow biosecurity protocols when moving goods, equipment or machinery from known fire ant zones.

Key prevention steps include:
✅ Inspect machinery, vehicles and equipment thoroughly
✅ Clean down all surfaces to remove soil and debris
✅ Follow movement controls: https://okt.to/ELRsJx

🧼 Come clean, go clean – it’s a simple but vital step in stopping the spread.

📢 Report any sightings immediately to support rapid response and eradication efforts: https://okt.to/o1H9fd

17/06/2025

🐟 Aquarium Fish Dumping Sparks Pond Drain in Charters Towers 🚨

Illegally dumped aquarium fish, including large cichlids, triggered the draining of a park pond in Charters Towers. Authorities feared floodwaters could release the invasive species into the Burdekin River.

🚫 Don’t dump your pets — it’s dangerous and illegal.

📸 Learn more: 🔗 https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/townsville/pond-drained-to-catch-monster-exotic-fish-in-charters-towers-pond/news-story/b2a3d13c10a21f05782ae4a50f8a61bc

Several exotic aquarium fish have grown to enormous proportions in a park pond, where they were observed being so aggressive and territorial they were bullying local turtles.

22/05/2025

🌿🐾 PAWS2025 – That’s a Wrap! 🐾🌿

A heartfelt thank you to the 200+ attendees who joined us in Gladstone for this year’s PAWS Symposium. What an incredible few days of learning, connection, and inspiration!

To our speakers, panelists, and poster presenters, thank you for sharing your expertise and sparking important conversations. Your passion for protecting our landscapes and communities truly shone through.

To the organising committee, volunteers, and behind the scenes crew, your dedication and hard work made it all happen. Every detail, from logistics to hospitality, helped create such a positive and productive atmosphere.

Whether you travelled from near or far, we hope you head home safely with fresh ideas, new connections, and renewed motivation to tackle the challenges ahead.

A big thank you from all of us at . 👏💚