Gamba grass

The picture at right shows gamba grass in the Northern Territory. Gamba produces robust tussocks that can reach a height of 4 metres, producing fuel loads for fires four to ten times that of native savanna grasses. By changing fire regimes, the grass may be irrevocably transforming the landscapes of northern Australia.
Picture: Sam Setterfield

Research has shown that fire can be effective in managing some weeds. Read about a CSIRO/CRC project that looked at using fire to manage the major riparian weed, rubber vine, in north Queensland. Read more ... 

Read about our fire research >>

gamba

How weeds impact on savanna lands

  • Impacts of Exotic Grasses   
    Much of the weed research in the tropical savannas has focused on woody weeds, yet the spread of exotic grasses has the potential to transform savanna landscapes by, for example, displacing native grasses and altering fire patterns. This project works collaboratively with the CRC for Australian Weed Management. It began in late 2003, and is studying how selected exotic grasses of major concern impact on savanna landscapes. These results can then be used to better manage these grasses, allowing a better understanding of other savanna processes such as fire patterns.


Savanna Explorer 

To read more about general land management issues in northern Australia—as well as the ecology, flora, fauna and communities—go to our new website, Savanna Explorer. Go to: www.savanna.org.au/

Land Manager

For more specific information to help with land management in the north, you can explore Land Manager website, which has a "clearing house" of practical information for people involved in managing natural resources in northern Australia. Online at the end of 2006. Go to: www.landmanager.org.au/

Savanna Links

The CRC's newsletter, Savanna Links, provides news and information on a broad range of land management issues, research and events across the tropical savannas. In print since 1996, there is a substantial archive on issues of concern to the north. Go to Savanna Links>>


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