Fed: Weeds and erosion now the biggest threat to bushland

AAP General News (Australia)
12-29-2001
Fed: Weeds and erosion now the biggest threat to bushland

CANBERRA, Dec 29 AAP - An infestation of weeds and erosion caused by sightseers could
ruin plans to regenerate nature reserves destroyed by bushfires in the national capital,
Environment ACT warned today.

Environment ACT spokeswoman Maxine Cooper urged people to stay away from the Red Hill
nature reserve, about two kilometres south of Parliament House, and Bruce Ridge nature
reserve, behind the Institute of Sport.

"One of the issues that we're concerned with is that 70 per cent of two of our key
reserves, Red Hill and Bruce Ridge, have been burnt," Ms Cooper said.

"The first thing we ask the public to do is to stay out of there because at the moment
if you go in there you'll cause erosion and erosion will cause more damage."

Ms Cooper said the areas should naturally regenerate - but because they were in urban
areas there was a fear they could become infested with weeds.

She said Environment ACT would consider asking the public to help weed the parks.

"The best that we can do is to leave nature to heal itself and maybe engage the community
to help us with some weeding," Ms Cooper said.

"Being in the urban area the weed infestation is our biggest problem for areas to naturally
regenerate."

Bushfires have burnt out 1,500 hectares of land in the ACT since Christmas Eve.

AAP sm/cjh/de

KEYWORD: BUSHFIRE ACT NATURE

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