Another installment of the Far North Queensland Pest Advisory Forum was recently held in Wujal Wujal on Thursday the 19th of August 2010.

Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council is situated in the Bloomfield Valley 32 kilometres north of Cape Tribulation and approximately 75 kilometres south of Cooktown, nestled between the Cook and Cairns Regional Council shires.

FNQPAF at Wujal Wujal - attendees listening intently to valuable pest management information.

Thirty guest and presenters attended travelling from as far as Perth to learn about and discuss issues surrounding pests in the Tropics.

The meeting was opened by Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council CEO Kevin Wormald, Guest Presenters included:

Bruce Webber from CSIRO, Bruce presented on the declared class (1), Mexican Bean Tree or Cecropia spp. Bruce's presentation covered its biology, history as a weed on a global context, and potential impacts in Australia. He also covered information concerning work he had recently undertaken on Cecropia in the Wet Tropics.

Helen Murphy and Dan Metcalfe from CSIRO presented on weed response to cyclone impacted rainforests following cyclone Larry. They also provided a summary of the recently released Habitat management guide : rainforests : ecological principles for the strategic management of weeds in rainforest habitats.

Joe Vitelli from Biosecurity Queensland Invasive Plant and Animal science gave an update of ongoing declared class (1) weeds research. He also gave attendees an insight into the complex processes involved in gaining a chemical permit.

Mel Fazackerley from Cassowary Coast Regional Council gave an update on a new and emerging pest Bog Moss (Mayaca fluviatilis) and how CCRC intend to management it.

There was also presentations by Michael Graham (Biosecurity Queensland), Amanda Soymanoff (Biosecurity Queensland), Bart Dryden (Terrain NRM) and Travis Sydes (FNQROC).

The forum concluded with a presentation from Eddie Maddson - Wujal Wujal Pest Management Officer, Eddie gave a pest management update of work being undertaken in the DoGIT area and covered some the trials Wujal Wujal has faced with being a small Council with no rates base especially with the end of the Community Development Employment Program.

For further information, contact DEEDI's Biosecurity Officer Michael Graham on (07) 40641143 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .