Buffel Grasses

Status

·       The Federal Government has issued a Threat Abatement Advice to identify key actions and research to manage the threat of Buffel Grass in arid and semi-arid Australia.

·       Buffel Grass is also a declared weed in the Northern Territory and South Australia

·       In New South Wales it is included in the key threatening process listed under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995, Invasion of native plant communities by exotic perennial grasses.

Buffel grasses form thick clumps that are long-lived, deep-rooted and can take over areas so that native vegetation can no longer survive. They can flower and fruit really quickly after rainfall and produce large volumes of seed which spread easily. They are well adapted to arid environments and are still seen as a good stock feed by pastoralists in some parts of Australia.

Check out this video called Buffel Free made by the 10 Deserts Project. Desert Rangers War on Buffel is another video that gives a great summary of the Buffel Grass problem.

What they look like

Buffel Grasses are a tussock (clumping), deep-rooted grass between 20 cm to 1m high. They can look different depending on how dry they are - following summer rain the leaves are green and in dry times the leaves are straw coloured.

Click here for a more detailed description of what they look like. 

There are other grasses (both weeds and natives) that can look similar to the Buffel Grasses.

If you aren’t sure what species you have you can collect samples and lodge them at the herbarium – see here for a Standard Operating Procedure outlining how to do this.

Where they are found

Buffel Grasses occur across semi-arid and arid parts of Australia. They can survive in areas with average rainfall of between 200 mm and 1000 mm.

ALA Map.

Where they live

Buffel Grasses prefer warm climates with annual rainfall between 250 to 750 mm. They grow well in sandy, loamy, or rocky soils but can adapt to poor soil conditions, including those with low nutrient content and high salinity. They require full sun and can tolerate drought, making them suitable for arid and semi-arid regions.

Common habitats where you find Buffel Grasses include grasslands, rangelands and disturbed areas such as roadsides, pastoral lands and riparian areas (waterways).  

Why they are a threat

Buffel Grasses are considered to be ‘transformer’ weed because of the way they change Country over large areas – they change fire regimes, soil properties and reduce the quality of habitat for native plants and animals. 

Many consider them to be the nastiest weeds in arid and semi-arid Australia because they are associated with:

Wrong-way fire: Buffel Grasses can form dense continuous areas of fuel which can lead to an increase in the intensity and frequency of fires. These wrong-way fires can:

o   kill important bush foods and important tree species such as corkwoods, red gums, beefwoods,

o   reduce the quality of habitat for native animals

o   damage places of cultural significance.

Outcompeting native plants: Buffel Grasses can make it hard for native plant seedling to grow by reducing access to light and space. They can also change the properties of the soil making it harder for native plants to grow. There is often a reduction in the variety or diversity of native plant species present where Buffel Grasses take hold. Native animal species that rely on the presence of these native plant species can then find it more difficult to survive.

A great video describing the impacts of Buffel Grass on APY communities can be found here.

Management

The best way to manage Buffel Grass is to prevent it from establishing itself in the first place. Follow this link to find out more information about the weed prevention and hygiene.

It is also important to think about what other nasty or high-threat weeds you would like to manage and do some good planning around the management work you need to do. See more information about weed management planning here.

An overview of different weed control methods is available here. There is a lot of great information available about the best method to control Buffel Grasses. Some examples of suitable methods include burning, spraying, burning then spraying or physical removal.

The best method will depend on the scale of the infestation, the location of the infestation, the equipment available, the training of staff, money to buy chemicals. There are critical times when each method is most effective (see this example).