Invasive plants are one of the greatest threats to the health and resilience of Australia’s forests. Once established, they displace native vegetation, alter fire regimes, and disrupt cultural landscapes. As forests face growing pressures from climate change, the active management of pest plants and weeds must be a central part of the work we do.
The impact of invasive species on forests
Species like Lantana camara, Rubus fruticosus (blackberry), and Cenchrus ciliaris (buffel grass) have transformed forest and woodland ecosystems across the country. Their spread increases competition for light, water and nutrients, suppressing native flora and threatening ecological function¹,². Buffel grass, in particular, is highly flammable and contributes to hotter, more frequent fires—damaging ecosystems not adapted to such intense burning³.
The long-term presence of invasive weeds is linked to biodiversity loss and degradation of Country. Their impact is not just ecological but cultural, often displacing species important to First Nations communities and interfering with land-based practices⁴.
Cultural burning: restoring balance and resisting weeds
First Nations fire practices, including low intensity “cool” burning, have been used for tens of thousands of years to shape and care for Country. These methods differ fundamentally from Western suppression regimes, instead focusing on timing, frequency and landscape knowledge.
Recent research suggests that cultural burning can reduce the dominance of some invasive grasses and woody weeds while encouraging native plant regeneration⁵,⁷,⁹. For instance, work with the Banbai rangers in northern NSW showed that First Nations fire stewardship limited the spread of exotic grasses and maintained more open, diverse forest understorys¹⁰.
Integrated approaches: beyond “set and forget”
Weed control is not a one-off action—it requires ongoing commitment and adaptability. Integrated Weed Management (IWM) combines biological, chemical, mechanical and cultural methods, tailored to local conditions and weed lifecycles⁶. This approach relies on regular monitoring and long-term planning.
Integration must also include First Nations land management knowledge and leadership. As highlighted in the NESP’s Threatened Species Recovery Hub, combining cultural burning with targeted weed treatments delivers stronger outcomes than either method alone⁸.
A shared responsibility
Well-resourced and collaborative weed management programs are essential, but more work is needed to ensure these efforts are embedded in all forest restoration and climate adaptation strategies. That includes listening to and resourcing First Nations leadership in fire and land stewardship.
At the Healthy Forests Foundation, we believe that caring for Country means managing weeds not just as environmental nuisances, but as symptoms of deeper ecological imbalance. By integrating science and First Nations knowledge, we can restore health to our forests and build resilience for generations to come.
References
¹ Grice A.C. 2004, Weeds and the monitoring of biodiversity in Australian rangelands, Austral Ecology, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 51–58,
² Friedel M., Grice A.C., Marshall N.A. & van Klinken R.D. 2006, Weed management in Australian rangelands, Rangeland Journal, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 103–119,
³ Miller G. et al. 2010, Buffel grass and fire in arid Australia: a review of effects and management strategies, Rangeland Journal, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 285–297,
⁴ Yibarbuk D., Whitehead P.J., Russell-Smith J., Jackson D., Godjuwa C., Fisher A., Cooke P., Choquenot D. & Bowman D.M.J.S. 2001, Fire ecology and Aboriginal land management in central Arnhem Land, northern Australia: a tradition of ecosystem management, Journal of Biogeography, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 325–343, http:
⁵ Weir J.K., Neale T. & Smith W. 2020, Reframing fire governance through First Nations land management, Geographical Research, vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 10–22,
⁶ Llewellyn R., D’Emden F. & Owen M. 2016, Integrated Weed Management: Best Practice for Australian Cropping Systems, GRDC, viewed 18 June 2025, https:
⁷ Robinson C.J. et al. 2021, First Nations fire management in the 21st century: identifying pathways for resilience, People and Nature, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 464–481,
⁸ Ens E.J. et al. 2021, First Nations-led adaptive management of environmental change: combining Western and First Nations science to support wellbeing and biodiversity, Ecological Management & Restoration, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 12–22,
⁹ Ross J., Taylor J. & Walsh F. 2022, Cultural fire and invasive grasses: Banbai rangers’ work on Country, Ecological Management & Restoration, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 110–118,
¹⁰ Ross J., Taylor J. & Walsh F. 2022, Cultural fire and invasive grasses: Banbai rangers’ work on Country, Ecological Management & Restoration, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 110–118,
Forests' threats