Major funding granted to UOW for fight against weeds

Sep 22, 2006

An academic from the University of Wollongong’s School of Biological Sciences has been awarded $535,000 in funding for the submission of two high quality environmental project proposals.

Associate Professor Kristine French secured the funding from Land and Water Australia for her research into preventing invasion of coastal vegetation and preventing invasion of the weed Salvinia in fresh water rivers and lakes.

The funding is part of the ‘Defeating the Weed Menace R & D Program’ established by the Australian Government in 2004 under the national heritage trust. Managed jointly by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Department of the Environment and Heritage, the program aims to identify Australia’s most threatening weeds and to implement measures for their control.

Professor French’s first project is titled ‘Understanding and Determining Mechanisms to Prevent Invasion in Coastal Vegetation’. A research associate, Tanya Mason, is working her looking at coastal dune communities affected by the primary invader bitou bush and secondary invaders such as lantana and asparagus ferns.

The second project titled ‘Improving Management of Salvinia in Temperate Aquatic Ecosystems’ investigates the invasion of the weed Salvinia, which causes fish deaths and poor water quality resulting in losses to biodiversity, the community and economic structures. Dr Bertie Hennecke will also be employed as a research associate on the project, which will use Hawkesbury-Nepean River as a case study.

“These projects allow us to contribute substantially to helping manage natural areas for these invasive weeds,” said Professor French. “It will certainly be an exciting couple of years.”

Professor French’s research interests include weed ecology as well as urban ecology, endangered species and forest ecology. She is also the manager of UOW’s Janet Cosh Herbarium – a collection of plant specimens from the surrounding area that provides important historical and conservation information on the distribution of plant species.

For further information: Contact Professor Kristine French on (02) 4221 3655.

For more information, contact:

media@uow.edu.au
University of Wollongong
Ph: (02) 4221 5942; fax (02) 4221 3128