WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following video may contain images and voices of deceased persons.

Narrator

Southern Cross School of Distance Education acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which this video was filmed. We pay respect to elders both past and present of the Wahlabul people of Bundjalung Nation and extend our gratitude for their generous sharing of knowledge and expertise about the importance of this site.

Roy Bell [Administration officer & Bunjalung man and Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council]

Today we're filming on Wahlabul Country, the land where my ancestors once lived, hunted, gathered, and walked. I like to pay my respect to the elders both past and present and I hope you guys have a great day today.

Narrator

Please enjoy your virtual excursion while acknowledging the elders both past and present, giving respect to those who permitted the production of these videos and generously shared their time, knowledge and expertise.

[Uplifting music and images of Bundjalung country]

List of sources and Acknowledgements:

1. Image – Australian Rivers. Retrieved from www.ga.gov.au
2. Image – Australian Drainage divisions and River Basin Boundaries. Retrieved from www.ga.gov.au
3. Video – Drone Footage of The Everlasting Swamp. We would like to thank The Everlasting Swamp National Park and Jessica Robertson Photography and Design for contributing their beautiful drone footage
4. Narration – Voice over by Melissa Ellis, Southern Cross School of Distance Education
5. Acknowledgment – We wish to thank Father Pop Harry Walker, Annabelle Walker, Roy Bell, Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council, Steve Walker, Marty Walker, David Foley, Upper Clarence River Landcare, Terry Moody, Steven Ross, Frederick Ellis]

[End of transcript]

WARNING – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following video may contain images and voices of deceased persons.

[Uplifting music and images of Bundjalung country]

Narrator

Welcome to the virtual excursion 'Save Our Catchment'. This virtual excursion will take us to the upper reaches of the Clarence River in the hinterland of New South Wales, mid north coast. The minor tributaries of the Clarence River have been invaded by a pest species, commonly known as the Cat's Claw Creeper.

This deceivingly beautiful plant was introduced as a garden decoration. Large native trees along the Upper Clarence River have been strangled to death by the creeper, changing the river and the wider catchment health. This has resulted in devastating habitat loss for native species, changed the natural landscape, and the plant is now virtually unmanageable. Local Indigenous landowners are concerned about the impact to culturally significant species of turtles and platypus, and important historical scar trees.

In this series, you'll learn from experts who have been willing to share information with you, including local Indigenous representatives, Landcare managers and local tourism providers. You will view a series of short video episodes, focusing on different stakeholder experiences, and their concerns about the Cat's Claw Creeper.

In additional materials, you will learn about abundant surveying and how to apply skills obtained in this virtual excursion to your own study area. We hope you enjoy the virtual excursion 'Save Our Catchment' and begin to think about steps you can take to help and keep our waterways healthy.

[List of sources and acknowledgements:

1. Image – Canoeing on the Upper Clarence River. Provided by Steven Ross and Clarence River Wilderness lodge
   
2. Image – Australian Drainage divisions and River Basin Boundaries. Retrieved from www.ga.gov.au
   
3. Video – Drone footage of The Everlasting Swamp. We would like to thank The Everlasting Swamp National Park and Jessica Robertson Photography and Design for contributing their beautiful drone footage
   
4. Narration – Voice over by Melissa Ellis, Southern Cross School of Distance Education
   
5. Acknowledgment – We wish to thank Father Pop Harry Walker, Annabelle Walker, Roy Bell, Steve Walker, Marty Walker, David Foley, Upper Clarence River Landcare, Terry Moody, Steven Ross, Frederick Ellis]
   

[End of transcript]

WARNING – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following video may contain images and voices of deceased persons.

Narrator

The Rocky River and Clarence River, like other rivers, are powerful transformers.

[Screen reads – Focus question: How do streams, creeks and rivers shape and change our landscape?]

They have shaped most of the landscape we see today over thousands of years. Rivers erode and transport large amounts of sediment from one location to another, eventually depositing the eroded material downstream, creating a range of unique landforms.

Rivers naturally flow from upland areas to a mouth in the lower areas following the force of gravity. As a river gets closer to the mouth, it generally becomes larger, deeper and wider. Small creeks receive water from rain on the land nearby then flow down into the river, adding to the volume of water being transported. The area that supplies water to the river is commonly referred to as a catchment area. The ridges that divide one catchment from another is called a watershed.

[Screen reads – Watershed. Ridges that divide one catchment from another]

The Australian landscape is composed of many catchment areas divided by watersheds. Here you can see a map showing all the rivers across Australia. Here you can see another map which shows Australia divided into its major catchment areas. Close to the river source, the river channel is often narrow and deep. In this area of a catchment the water travels fast and erodes the landscape which means you are more likely to see v-shaped valleys, rapids and waterfalls.

The middle and lower courses of rivers are often characterised by depositional landforms. This is where the water speeds slow down and the sediment carried from upstream is deposited. Floodplains are the flat area of land on either side of the river. Floodplains are fascinating to observe because over time they change continually, shifting river paths. Along floodplains, you will observe the river meandering in bends that make it look like a large snake.

The water naturally erodes the sediment and other materials from the outer beds of the river where the water speeds up and deposits on the inside of the banks where the water slows. In this way, the river slowly shifts course. The catchment divides New South Wales and Queensland by its watershed, west of Bonalbo in the Border Ranges. The Clarence River flows south and is joined by 24 tributaries including the Rocky River. This unit of work focuses on the Rocky River at Tabulam. The Clarence River is approximately 394 kilometres in length and broadens considerably at Grafton and at its mouth in Yamba.

[Screen reads – Focus question: Why is the Clarence River Catchment an important riverine environment?]

The Clarence River catchment is a rich and diverse riverine environment. Many people rely on the river system for economic and recreational purposes. It is home to diverse flora and fauna. The fresh water supports important populations of freshwater fish including the Eastern Freshwater Cod and Australian Bass. Loss of this important freshwater ecosystem will have severe cultural, social and economic consequences to the entire region.

List of sources and Acknowledgements:

1. Image – Australian Rivers. Retrieved from www.ga.gov.auExternal link
   
2. Image – Australian Drainage divisions and River Basin Boundaries. Retrieved from www.ga.gov.auExternal link
3. Video – Drone footage of The Everlasting Swamp. We would like to thank The Everlasting Swamp National Park and Jessica Robertson Photography and Design for contributing their beautiful drone footage
4. Narration – Voice over by Melissa Ellis, Southern Cross School of Distance Education
5. Acknowledgment – We wish to thank Father Pop Harry Walker, Annabelle Walker, Roy Bell, Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council, Steve Walker, Marty Walker, David Foley, Upper Clarence River Landcare, Terry Moody, Steven Ross, Frederick Ellis

]End of transcript]

WARNING – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following video may contain images and voices of deceased persons.

Narrator

Dreaming stories give meaning to human life. Aboriginal people attribute their origins and occupation of Australia to their ancestors and spirit beings of their particular family groups, distinct to a particular area of land.

[Screen reads – Focus question: How do the traditional people, Aboriginal Australians, explain the origin of their land?]

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have their own explanations of how landscapes and landforms were created. These explanations are known as creation stories or Dreamtime. It is the belief of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders that at the beginning of time spirit ancestors wandered the land in the form of animals. These ancestors shaped the land and provided resources for human use. They believe that these ancestors live in, on and around all living things on our landscape. Therefore the landscape is sacred to Aboriginal people and they see it as their responsibility to care for their ancestors who gave them life, customs, languages and traditional practices.

[Screen reads – Clarence River Catchment is located in the traditional lands of the Bunjalung people.]

The Clarence River is located in what was traditionally known as Bundjalung Nation. Indigenous Australians have their own unique ways of explaining the origin of their country. Dreamtime stories illustrate the deep connection Aboriginal people have with the land.

[Screen reads – Traditional knowledge. Refers to the knowledge, innovations and practices of Indigenous and local communities around the world]

For thousands of years, Aboriginal people have observed the changing environment and learnt to evolve with it. Many of these changes have been incorporated into oral history through spiritual storytelling, providing a long and accurate record of our environmental change.

List of sources and acknowledgements:

1. Acknowledgement – Southern Cross School of Distance Education acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which this series of videos were filmed. We wish to pay respect to Jubullum tribal group – past, present and emerging – of the Waalubal people – Bundjalung Nation. We acknowledge their integral role in the production of these videos and express our gratitude for their deep generosity in welcoming us onto their country and sharing their knowledge in welcoming us onto their country and sharing their knowledge and expertise. We recognise their tireless ongoing work to maintain and share this country, its significant sites and the deep and important history which it holds.
   
2. Video – Drone footage of The Everlasting Swamp. We would like to thank The Everlasting Swamp National Park and Jessica Robertson Photography and Design for contributing their beautiful drone footage
3. Narration – Voice over by Melissa Ellis, Southern Cross School of Distance Education
4. Acknowledgment – We wish to thank Father Pop Harry Walker, Annabelle Walker, Roy Bell, Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council, Steve Walker, Marty Walker, David Foley, Upper Clarence River Landcare, Terry Moody, Steven Ross, Frederick Ellis

[End of transcript]

WARNING – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following video may contain images and voices of deceased persons.

[Screen reads – Environmental Weeds. Any other plant that causes or has the potential to cause negative environmental, social or economic impact]

Narrator

Environmental weeds are subtle invaders in the natural ecosystems and often are not adequately recognised as a significant threat to Australia's biodiversity. Second to habitat loss, alien species such as weeds and pest animals are in the greatest cause of biodiversity decline in Australia.

[Screen reads – Biodiversity decline is the loss of variety in living systems. Australia has experienced the largest documented decline in biodiversity of any continent over the past 200 years.]

Species and ecosystems have complex and important interrelationships. Some species play important roles in the maintenance of ecosystems

[Screen reads – Riparian Zones. The interface between land and a river or stream]

Riparian zones are particularly susceptible to invasive plants species due to the natural processes associated with flooding and the favourable conditions of vegetative growth.

[Screen reads –Focus question: What are the natural processes of river systems, and how does the Cat’s Claw Creeper impact on them?]

[Screen reads -Riparian zones, particularly the vegetation adjacent to waterways, are experiencing particular decline across Australia. Riparian systems are important to maintaining both terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity.]

[Screen reads – Environmental weeds. Any other plant that causes or has the potential to cause negative environmental, social or economic impact]

The Cat's Claw Creeper is considered a major environmental weed in Australia. It was introduced to Australia as an ornamental vine but is now classified as a weed of national significance and a noxious weed.

[Screen reads – Cat’s Claw Creeper is a week of national significance and a noxious weed in Australia]

Prolific in South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales, the plant is conservatively estimated to cost $15 million to eradicate. The Cat's Claw Creeper has been included in the Global Invasive Species Data, the GISD, 2008. It has been listed as a noxious weed in South Africa and Australia.

Terry Moody [CEO and weed expert, Upper Clarence combined Landcare] – Now the cost of weeds to Australia is estimated about 10 billion dollars per year. Cat's Claw has a different impact. Most weeds that we recognise as weeds is because they interfere with something we do. So whether it be agriculture and agricultural productivity or just the sheer cost of controlling it.

[Screen reads – Ecology. Biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings]

It impacts agriculturally a little bit, but primarily it's impacting on the ecology and it's impacting on the rivers and the river systems, the water holes because once the trees go, the bank goes as well.

[Screen reads – Sediment. Matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid]

So you end up with all the sediment in the water holes, and your whole water ecology changes as well.

Narrator

Cat's Claw Creeper smothers tall trees, shrubs and ground cover, resulting in vegetation collapse and competition for resources. The plant is distributed efficiently by seed pods in the wind and water, making it especially problematic in river catchment areas where seeds can travel downriver. Persistent undergrowth tubers make physical removal difficult in well-established infestations.

Terry

Cat's Claw is a very large but still continuing-to-grow issue in most of the east coast of New South Wales and Queensland. So it actually goes from Gympie all the way down to the south coast of New South Wales, some in outlying places such as Melbourne and the Kimberley, would you believe, in Western Australia. So this is a vine that was introduced back into Australia in about the 1880s as a garden plant, which is common. Most of our weeds are actually garden plants that have escaped. It originally came from Mexico down to tropical South America.

[Screen reads – Cat’s claw creeper was introduced to Australia in the 1880’s as a garden plant]

So it's a vine that's quite happy in that area, and it is kept under control by the native insects and the native pests that it has in the area, but when it came here, it didn't have those pests. So it just started to go mad and it quite literally has gone mad in some areas and here is a case in point where it's actually climbed up all of the trees over the years. So it's quite an aggressive vine. It's called Cat's Claw Creeper because it has little cat's claws on it, and it'll stick and hang onto anything. Just amazing little three-fingered cat's claws on it.

So it'll grow up a tree, totally right up the trunk. It will go over then out all the branches and the sheer weight of those vines on the branches break the branches off the tree and you end up with a telegraph pole covered in vine. Then the weight of that eventually pulls that over because it dies because it can't photosynthesise anymore. So it dies, falls over, takes the creek bank with it. So that's why Cat's Claw is a weed.

Narrator

The main reason the Cat's Claw Creeper is a concern in riparian zones is the nature of its spreading. The vines and seed pods spread easily. Riparian zones are the areas where Cat's Claw Creeper are most likely to spread. It is in these areas managers will need to focus land management and control strategies.

List of sources and acknowledgements:

1. Image – Map of Cats claw distribution. Based on map created by Weeds of national significance
   
2. Video – Drone Footage of The Everlasting Swamp. We would like to thank The Everlasting Swamp National Park and Jessica Robertson Photography and Design for contributing their beautiful drone footage
3. Narration – Voice over by Robert Llewellyn, New Soul Projects
4. Acknowledgment – We wish to thank Father Pop Harry Walker, Annabelle Walker, Roy Bell, Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council, Steve Walker, Marty Walker, David Foley, Upper Clarence River Landcare, Terry Moody, Steven Ross, Frederick Ellis]

[End of transcript]

WARNING – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following video may contain images and voices of deceased persons.

[Screen reads – Focus question: What are the physical characteristics of the Cat’s claw creeper that could help you identify the plant in your local catchment area?]

Narrator

The Cat's Claw is a vine that can reach up to 30 metres in height with the support of a tree. Below the soil surface, it is characterised by an extensive tubular root system. It's also known by its common names, Cat's Claw Climber, Cat's Claw Creeper, Cat's Claw Vine, Cat's Claw Trumpet, Funnel Creeper and Yellow Trumpet Vine. In this Virtual Excursion, we are investigating the Cat's Claw Creeper in the riparian zones of the Upper Clarence River catchment.

[Screen reads – How would you know if you have Cat's Claw Creeper on your property?]

How would you know if you have Cat's Claw Creeper on your property? Generally, the plant grows alongside the creeks and rivers but more specifically, when you look at the Cat's Claw Creeper you will notice the stems are hairless and green in colour, often with reddish-brown or bronze-coloured tips. The stems turn light brown or greyish and become woody as they age. Older stems are here to support such tree trunks via short rootlets, while young stems are here to support via core-like leaf tendrils.

The compound leaves are oppositely arranged and are born on leaf stalks. They consist of a pair of oval leaflets and a third leaflet that has been modified into small, three-clawed tendrils. These tendrils are very important to the success of the creeper as they allow the plant to grip onto trees, fence posts and even cliff faces. These tendrils allow the plant to attach itself to trees as support while it climbs up towards the canopy searching for sunlight.

The showy bright yellow flowers are four to 10 centimetres long and up to 10 centimetres wide. They are best described as tubular and have five petal lobes, each about one to two centimetres long. These flowers usually have several fine, reddish orange lines in their throats. They also have five particularly few sepals, 10 to 18 millimetres long. Flowers are born singularly or in the small clusters originating in the leaf forks.

The fruits are initially glossy green in appearance but turn dark brown as they mature. They are very elongated, flattened strap-like capsules. Each fruit contains numerous papery seeds. These oblong seeds have two see-through wings. They are not easily separated from the rest of the seed. Seeds are usually dispersed in the wind and water. Expert Terry Moody describes here the plant and how it successfully spreads in the riparian zone.

Terry Moody [CEO and weed expert, Upper Clarence combined Landcare] – It has lovely yellow flowers. And the thing that makes it flower is actually sunlight. So you can actually get quite large vines growing up trees and they've never flowered. It's only when they get to the top and they get exposed to light that they will flower. Beautiful yellow flowers, if you see yellow flowers in the treetop in riparian areas in particular, you're pretty certain you're gonna have a Cat's Claw issue.

When it flowers, it then produces seed pods which are like long bean pods and they split open and you end up with very, very fine, flaky, paper-like seeds that blow on the wind. So that's one way that it disperses. So I've seen the sky in this area just literally full of floating seeds.

The other way is that the vine itself underground actually has small tubers. So if you think of a sweet potato, so an average sweet potato might be say, that size. Well Cat's Claw sometimes that size, sometimes, or virtually always, a mixture of big one connected to a little one, connected to another big one, connected to another little one, all the way down the profile through the soil. So you can imagine, flood comes along, takes some creek bank with it, there go some tubers as well. So it spreads by both seeds and tubers. It can spread without going naturally of course is if people pick up and remove soil from somewhere.

[Screen reads: Fact. Cat’s claw creeper established itself as a week in the Clarence River riparian zone in the 1880’s]

So established in the 1880s, it's now all over the place and it is so bad it's now declared weed of national significance.

Narrator

The Cat's Claw Creeper is so successful because it is a resilient plant that has evolved very effective seed dispersal strategies. The plant is opportunistic and will grow where others would not. The deep, complex roots and wide strong vines make it difficult to kill. There is no real natural threat to this plant in Australia. The riparian and climate zones of the mid-north coast provide a perfect habitat for the Cat's Claw Creeper.

List of sources and acknowledgements:

1. Video – Drone footage of The Everlasting Swamp. We would like to thank The Everlasting Swamp National Park and Jessica Robertson Photography and Design for contributing their beautiful drone footage
   
2. Narration – Voice over by Robert Llewellyn, New Soul Projects
3. Acknowledgment – We wish to thank Father Pop Harry Walker, Annabelle Walker, Roy Bell, Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council, Steve Walker, Marty Walker, David Foley, Upper Clarence River Landcare, Terry Moody, Steven Ross, Frederick Ellis

[End of transcript]

WARNING – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following video may contain images and voices of deceased persons.

[Screen reads – Focus question: How has the invasive pest species Cat’s claw creeper impacted on the riparian zone of the Upper Clarence river?]

Melissa

Riparian zones are land alongside creeks, streams, gullies, rivers and wetlands. They can support diverse vegetation, help maintain bank stability and increase ecological and economic productivity. These conditions support cleaner water, reduce disease and pests and retain important nutrients and soil. Cat's Claw Creeper causes severe damage to riparian zones. The plant has the ability to completely smother native vegetation. It can grow as a ground cover forming a thick carpet of stems and leaves which choke out all small existing plants and prevents the germination of all other species, some of which may be essential to the health of the local ecosystem.

In the Upper Clarence River, Cat's Claw vines have been observed completely smothering large native trees. Eventually these collapse under the weight of the vine. There are a lot of negative implications for a catchment when large trees are removed.

As the Cat's Claw Creeper causes large trees to die and collapse, the soil is no longer held stable by the large and complex root systems. This process leaves the soil more prone to water erosion. The increased erosion and loss of vegetation caused by environmental weeds in the riparian zone can have several interrelated effects, including increased water temperature, increased erosion, changing hydrological cycles, modified channel form, loss of native species habitat, decreased water clarity and increase of pollutants and unnatural levels of nutrients in the rivers.

Several of these effects have been observed in the Clarence River catchment. Due to damage to the riparian zone, increases in upstream erosion have led to changes in deposition further downstream. As a result, in some parts of the Clarence River the river depth has been decreasing. This leads to reducing the numbers of deep pond fish, reptile and mammal’s species as they lose the food and habitat needed for survival.

In this way, the invasion of Cat's Claw Creeper can have a devastating impact on the natural ecosystem. Local tourism operator, Steve Ross, outlined his concerns about the impact of Cat's Claw Creeper.

Melissa

As a tourism provider, are you concerned about this weed as an issue?

Steve Ross – Tourism provider, owner of Clarence River wilderness lodge

I am yes. The long-term impacts of the river with the trees falling in and changing the riparian area so that will have an impact on the quality of the river.

Melissa

Local boy Bell recalls the river having a series of large, deep pools as a child. Now it's all shallow and he voices his concern that this is changing the habitats for culturally significant turtles in the Jubullum area. Other significant cultural sites are under threat due to the spread of Cat's Claw Creeper.

Considering how prolific and impacting this weed is, there is a need to assess the extent and impact of the Cat's Claw Creeper along the Upper Clarence River.

List of sources and acknowledgements:

1. Video – Drone footage of The Everlasting Swamp. We would like to thank The Everlasting Swamp National Park and Jessica Robertson Photography and Design for contributing their beautiful drone footage
   
2. Narration. Voice over by Melissa Ellis, Southern Cross School of Distance Education
   
3. Acknowledgment – We wish to thank Father Pop Harry Walker, Annabelle Walker, Roy Bell, Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council, Steve Walker, Marty Walker, David Foley, Upper Clarence River Landcare, Terry Moody, Steven Ross, Frederick Ellis
   

[End of transcript]

WARNING – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following video may contain images and voices of deceased persons.

[Screen reads – Focus question: How can Cat’s claw creeper be prevented from causing long term ecological damage in the upper Clarence River Catchment]

Narrator

Cat's Claw Creeper has become a major problem in Australia and there has been extensive research to how to prevent it from causing long-term ecological damage. Control methods today include biological control, physical weed removal, chemical control, mechanical control, foliar spray and cut stump application. Local Landcare and tourist operators at Tabulam incorporate environmental weed education as a part of their programmes of environmental restoration. We talked to Terry Moody, an experienced weed control expert about the issues surrounding the spread and control of Cat's Claw Creeper.

Terry Moody – CEO and weed expert, Upper Clarence combined Landcare

The big issue, how do we do anything about it? It's easy to kill, well comparatively easy. If you've got small vines like the one I had here before that was sticking to me, it's simply a matter of cutting them off, bending them over and dipping them into some herbicide so they suck it up and they die.

The bigger vines, something that big, you've actually gotta cut it off with a chainsaw and you paint the herbicide on top. The challenge is getting enough herbicide in to kill those underground tubers and there's so many of them. So the smaller the vine is, believe it or not, the harder it is to kill, the easier it is to treat, but the harder it is to kill because you've only got a very small surface area for the poison to go into those, sometimes tubers almost as big as your head. So it becomes an issue in terms of having to go back and back and back again.

On top of that, there's a huge seed bank and the seed seems to last about three years in the soil. When we first started doing work with our crew, we were told it would only be 18 months to two years. It appears to last a lot longer than that. So you can go in and you kill the big vines, particularly if it's somewhere with light, you can come back sometimes six months later and the ground is covered with new ones coming up. It might only be that high, but you dig them out and they've got a tuber on the bottom the size of a 20 cent piece, even when it's only that high with two leaves on it. So you can imagine the mass that's under the ground when you've got vines this size.

So really, it's a question of being strategic, looking at where you can control Cat's Claw. On a landscape scale, start at the top end and work your way through. On a localised scale, you pick the areas where you've got something that's really good conditions. So you've got bushland that is really top quality, has a lot of habitat value, has a lot of aesthetic value, it's really nice to look at and you might say, well we really need to make a concerted effort here to keep that value that's already there.

In some other areas, you might just have to let it go with the limited resources that we have. So it's a combination for us, at looking at a catchment, trying to work from the top all the way down because those seeds blow up and down, but the tubers get washed primarily down. And then picking individual sites themselves for their own special values. And that's the way we do it. We found that in general, you have to do about five years worth of follow-up work to actually win and say you're winning, but it could be up as far as 10 before you won't have any vines coming up.

I didn't mention previously the growth rate of some of these things, so we've actually killed Cat's Claw in some areas and gone back three months later and there have been new vines that have sprouted on the ground and grown two metres up the tree. In three months!

Narrator

An alternative method to controlling weeds is through biological controls. Biological control involves the use of insects or pathogens that affect the health of the weed. Usually these bio-control agents are from the same country of its origin as the weed species. Biological controls are released as strategic infestation sites and then spread naturally to the other infestations of their host weed.

Managers have trialled biological control in the Upper Clarence catchment. Two insects, the Tingid Bug and the Leaf-Tying Moth have previously been released. Also, field releases of Leaf Mining Jewel Beetle commenced in September 2012. We talked to Terry about his knowledge and experience of using biological controls. It is really interesting to hear the issues of frost and how it has affected the success of biological controls.

Terry

Cat's Claw having come from a tropical area has tropical pests associated with it such as insects that eat its leaves and maybe even mildews and moulds and all sorts of things that keep it under control in those areas. So it doesn't go as rampant as it does here. So when we take a plant and take it from an area where those things exist and bring it here, and we don't bring those pests with it, then that encourages it or allows it to get away and grow a lot faster.

So in an effort to try and control some of our major weeds including Cat's Claw, there's been a lot of work done on biocontrol, so the classic one that everybody talks about is Prickly Pear. There was a release of a biocontrol agent for Prickly Pear and it's now essentially under control and it's always a delicate balance. So if you wipe out the Prickly Pear, then there won't be enough Prickly Pear for the biocontrol to survive. So then if the Prickly Pear comes back again, you won't have anything to control it. So it's a tricky thing, but biocontrol doesn't result in complete removal, but it helps to get it down to a stage where you can properly progress with it.

And that's part of our aim in Landcare, is actually to go onto people's properties, help them deal with an issue that's been allowed to grow, in some cases for over 100 years, and bring it back to a scale where they can take over when we finish and they can continue to progress it.

So if we talk about biocontrol for Cat's Claw, a few things have been introduced. There was a Tingid Beetle from South America, more recently a Jewel Beetle. If you think about it, it all makes sense except for one thing. The reason that Cat's Claw, the place that Cat's Claw is out here on the riparian areas is also now because we've cleared so much country around it, an area that's subject to very heavy frosting, particularly if you're coming away from the coast.

So you take these biocontrols, the Tingid Beetle or the Jewel Beetle and you put them out into these areas, in the riparian areas and they might do a good job for the first spring and summer, and then as soon as the first couple of frosts come, all the biocontrols die out. So the Cat's Claw is already established. It's well and truly secure, but the biocontrols die out. So unfortunately we've had no real success with any biocontrols on Cat's Claw away from the very coastal areas where they don't have frosts. But they're still continuing to trial various things, look at different insects, but it's a difficult thing when you've got a plant now growing in an environment which differed so much from where it was before and had its natural biocontrols with it.

Melissa

How have you treated Cat's Claw on your own property?

Steve Ross – Tourism provider, owner of Clarence River wilderness lodge

Where we are, the Cat's Claw is only in small amounts, so it's actually, you can achieve something with it. From various grants we got through the Upper Clarence Combined Landcare, we've been able to attack the isolated vines that are in the area.

Narrator

As Terry explains, biological control agents can reduce the vigour, size and competitiveness of the weed infestations, however, they rarely get rid of the weed altogether. They also have their limitations and do not work in all situations. In this case, Terry shares how the insects would die due to the low subzero temperatures of frosts. So insects introduced as biological controls may not survive in places where the environment and climate is different from the one they evolved in. For this and other reasons, biological controls work best in conjunction with other control methods.

[Screen shows images of, physical weed removal, chemical control, mechanical control, foliar spray and cut stump application]

List of sources and acknowledgements:

1. Video – Drone footage of The Everlasting Swamp. We would like to thank The Everlasting Swamp National Park and Jessica Robertson Photography and Design for contributing their beautiful drone footage

2. Narration – Voice over by Melissa Ellis, Southern Cross School of Distance Education
   
3. Acknowledgment – We wish to thank Father Pop Harry Walker, Annabelle Walker, Roy Bell, Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council, Steve Walker, Marty Walker, David Foley, Upper Clarence River Landcare, Terry Moody, Steven Ross, Frederick Ellis
   

[End of transcript]

WARNING – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following video may contain images and voices of deceased persons.

[Screen reads – Focus question: How can data collection clarify if a species is a pest species in a particular location?]

Narrator

Data collection is important in land care management. The data provides an overview of environmental degradation over time. In this Virtual Excursion, we will be collecting data on the distribution of Cat's Claw Creeper, to see if it is indeed a pest species in a particular location.

[Screen reads – The more you repeat a relative density survey in your study area the more accurate your data will be]

Ideally, this should be repeated each year in order to compare how the Cat's Claw is progressing. Specific environmental management strategies may need to be put in place in an attempt to control the Cat's Claw population. In this episode, we're going to be learning about how to collect data in the field. Our focus for research is the abundance and distribution of the Cat's Claw Creeper. You will learn how to conduct a belt transect survey, use quadrants, calculate percentage cover, and conduct a relative density survey. You will then be able to use these skills to collect data on a particular species in an area of your choice.

[Screen reads: Distribution of species. Species distribution is the manner in which a biological taxon is spatially arranged]

The distribution of species describes where it is found. Species like the Cat's Claw are not spread evenly throughout an ecosystem. They occupy spaces that are best suited for their survival.

[Screen lists – Larger plants to adhere to, adequate water supply, rich soil types, shade]

The Cat's Claw is growing in abundance in the Upper Clarence River catchment. Abundance of a species describes how many members of a species are found throughout an ecosystem. Abundance is not the same throughout an ecosystem. Abundance will increase if the birth rate exceeds the death rate. Here, teachers will show you how to conduct a simple belt transect, and also, relative density survey. This will help you to identify the distribution and abundance of the Cat's Claw Creeper at three sites in the Upper Clarence catchment.

The first step in field work is to make some preliminary observations. Stand in the area to be surveyed, and make a simple plan drawing of its key features. You might need to note direction, which way is north, latitude and longitude, often easily found on your phones, note any nearby buildings, landforms, large plants, roads, land use, bridges, et cetera. Draw your plan view on a blank piece of paper and clearly label the plan. The more information you record will help you to remember later what you observed at each site.

To successfully calculate percentage cover, you need to be able to use a quadrant and rule out a transect. Here, teachers have measured a transect 10 metres from the river or creek up towards the tree line. This is commonly known as a simple belt transect. You simply lay out your tape measure, then start at one end of the transect, placing the one metre squared quadrant beside the tape measure. You estimate and record the percentage of weed in each quadrant. When done counting, flip the quadrant forward up and along the transect. Continue counting and recording for the entire length of the 10 metre transect.

[Screen reads – Abundance. The number of a species found throughout an ecosystem]

This type of survey is useful when investigating abundance of a particular species. For the purpose of this Virtual Excursion, teachers have repeated the belt transect survey at three different sites. If you were to repeat this exercise for a different type of plant, or at a different location, you can include more sites for clearer data record and comparison.

A relative density survey is used to identify the distribution of plants. In riparian zones, it is difficult to access and accurately survey plants. The teachers are selecting a hundred metre section of the river. This is an estimation, and then they're estimating 10 metres inland. The hundred metres is parallel to the river. This makes it an estimated area of 100 metres by 10. In the estimated area, teachers are counting the number of weed-affected trees, and the number of non-weed-affected trees. To make it easier, one teacher counts the affected trees, and the other teacher counts the non-weed-affected trees. They tally their counts.

[Screen reads – The more you repeat a relative density survey in your study the more accurate your data will be]

This method can be repeated multiple times. The more you repeat the exercise, the more reliable the data is. Experiments and data collection should have at least three records of data, therefore three different sites. Here, [sample table of results shown] you can see the result for the quadrant survey, and the relative density survey. The sample fieldwork method shown in this episode can be used for other types of vegetation in your area.

List of sources and acknowledgements:

1. Video – Drone footage of The Everlasting Swamp. We would like to thank The Everlasting Swamp National Park and Jessica Robertson Photography and Design for contributing their beautiful drone footage
   
2. Narration – Voice over by Melissa Ellis, Southern Cross School of Distance Education
   
3. Acknowledgment – We wish to thank Father Pop Harry Walker, Annabelle Walker, Roy Bell, Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council, Steve Walker, Marty Walker, David Foley, Upper Clarence River Landcare, Terry Moody, Steven Ross, Frederick Ellis
   

[End of transcript]

WARNING – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following video may contain images and voices of deceased persons.

Melissa

Once you've collected data in the field, what do you do with it? You will probably have ended up with figures written down on a page for each location. Now you need to record the data formally and present it in a way that helps identify any patterns or trends. The role of our field work is to assist local Landcare managers in targeting locations for Cat's Claw Creeper management.

In this episode, you'll be learning how to conduct data analysis, calculate average percentage cover, present data in the right choice of graph, identify patterns in the data. Once you have gathered your results, you need to calculate the average percentage cover at each location.

Step one, draw out or design a results table and record all of your raw data into it. This makes it nice and clear to calculate your average percentage cover from each location. You should now complete your data table.

Step two, calculate an average for each location. You should have 10 percentages along the 10 metre transect for location one. Add up the 10 figures you have and divide this figure by 10. This will summarise the percentage cover of Cat's Claw Creeper for one location and give you an overall picture of what is happening at that target location. Calculate the average for location two and three along the Clarence River. Record the average figures in your results table.

Why should we calculate the average percentage cover for each location? The three average percentage cover figures allow for an easy comparison between the different locations to enable Landcare managers to decide which place is in need of urgent environmental management.

You are learning about the geography of the Clarence River. But these skills are also linked with what you learn in science. In science and geography, it is a skill to decide whether you draw a line or column graph, depending on the variables you are using. As the data we have collected has been from three separate locations, it is known as a discontinuous variable. This means the data should be presented as a bar graph.

You can draw out a graph using pencil and a ruler on graph paper or create one on your computer using Excel or Google Sheets. You should plot average percentage cover on the Y axis, vertical, and location one, two, and three on the X axis, horizontal. Make sure your scale is easy to read. You should also label each axis clearly and include units where appropriate. The graph gives an easy overall view of the distribution of Cat's Claw Creeper at three locations.

Identify patterns in the data. This may need to be done after the data collection. There are a variety of ways we can use the information we have collected in the field. After identifying differences in distribution of species in two areas, you can develop a hypothesis that might explain the differences in distributions. Questions that may be considered in the future could include, one, is there a difference in distribution of the Cat's Claw Creeper at depositional sites and removal, erosion, sites? Or two, how far inland in the riparian zone are the infestations spreading? Or number three, why does the Cat's Claw Creeper occupy certain areas and not others?

By completing this field work we are maintaining a database. The information can be kept over a number of years to assist Landcare managers in their decision making in regards to control measures and management in the Upper Clarence catchment.

List of sources and acknowledgements:

1. Video – Drone Footage of The Everlasting Swamp. We would like to thank The Everlasting Swamp National Park and Jessica Robertson Photography and Design for contributing their beautiful drone footage
   
2. Narration – Voice over by Melissa Ellis, Southern Cross School of Distance Education
   
3. Acknowledgment – We wish to thank Father Pop Harry Walker, Annabelle Walker, Roy Bell, Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council, Steve Walker, Marty Walker, David Foley, Upper Clarence River Landcare, Terry Moody, Steven Ross, Frederick Ellis

[End of transcript]

WARNING – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following video may contain images and voices of deceased persons.

[Screen reads: Focus question. How has the Cat’s claw creeper impacted on different stakeholders in the Upper Clarence River Catchment]

Narrator

All environmental land and water degradation issues are complex by nature. When negotiating management of such issues you need to consider the multiple stakeholders. Often, stakeholders have very different perspectives on land and water degradation issues and their willingness, ability and motivation to cooperate can be very different.

[Screen displays four interlocking circles with words cultural, recreational, economic and environmental, in the centre of each]

This can often hinder or help the landscape from recovering from an environmental problem. We will hear from a few local stakeholders about their concerns and actions in regards to Cat's Claw Creeper in the Upper Clarence catchment. Jubullum representative Roy Bell is the secretary for the Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council and member of the local tribal group. The group has a long history with the local landscape, the Clarence River catchment, which contains sites which hold deep spiritual importance. He shared his sadness about the potential loss of important cultural sites to the damage caused by Cat's Claw Creeper.

Roy Bell – Administration officer and Bundjalung man, the Jubullum local Aboriginal land council

It will seem scarred trees and carved trees and stuff that potentially won't be there in the next five to 10 years. For the younger generation to see, it's pretty distressing so they're a really important part of Aboriginal culture and stuff that's rarely practised today.

Narrator

We also talked to Terry Moody, a local Landcare representative about the Landcare movement and how he is involved with the Cat's Claw.

Terry Moody – CEO and weed expert, Upper Clarence combined Landcare

Landcare started off some 27 years ago now, I think, in Victoria. It was essentially an agreement between farmers' federations and community groups and environmental groups to accept more responsibility within the community for improved environmental management.

[Screen reads – Landcare Australia. Landcare as agreement farmers federations and community groups and environmental groups accept more responsibility within the community for improved environmental management]

So it was actually farmers and, for lack of better words, greenies working together. So it's a community-based movement. The government actually owns the copyright over the name of Landcare but the government has no role really in running Landcare. So when you talk about Landcare, you're talking about a loose group of people all over Australia, some working individually, some working in small groups, all abiding by a philosophy of looking after the land in their area.

Acting local can sometimes be a bit messy but at the end of the day, we're always there. We survived the ups and downs of funding programmes just purely because people have a passion. I've seen that develop even in our workers, people who never even really saw the issues before, they knew it was there but they didn't see the scale or the impact of it, and over the years of killing it and everything else they've become quite passionate about it and I've seen that particularly in our Aboriginal workers because they're also getting back on country. To some of them it's a new experience and it's a new world.

Narrator

Local tourism business provider Steve Ross shared his thoughts on the issue and actions he undertakes to manage Cat's Claw Creeper.

Melissa

How long has your business operated in the Clarence Valley, Steve?

Steve Ross – Tourism provider, owner of Clarence River wilderness lodge

We've lived here 35 years and we've been operating since 1994.

Melissa

What's the nature of your business?

Steve

Well we've got two businesses. One where we have our eco retreat on the banks of the Clarence River. And the other one where we take canoe trips down the Clarence River. That can be adults or students from schools.

Melissa

How important is river health to your livelihood?

Steve

I'd say essential to have a good river. And certain places it's good, up where we are in the more the headwaters, there's not too many environmental weeds up in that area.

Melissa

So for somebody that's been using the river system, what observations have you made with the Cat's Claw Creeper on the river?

Steve

Well from Tabulam down, that's where the real impact of the Cat's Claw is, so it's coming down the Timbarra and it's infested the river from its confluence down, to the point where you have the riparian trees now actually falling into the river because they've been killed from the Cat's Claw.

Melissa

And that probably doesn't do your business any favours because it's not very aesthetically pleasing?

Steve

Well surprisingly enough, most tourists wouldn't actually recognise it as a problem. To date, people that come with us just see this weird vine and these weird looking trees so it doesn't have that impact. We use it as a bit of a teaching tool for the students, so when we take them down the river to show them the impact of the environmental weeds. So in that respect, if we're using that section of river then the students get to hear about the Cat's Claw and its impact.

Melissa

As a tourism provider, are you concerned about this weed as an issue?

Steve

I am. The long-term impacts for the river with the trees falling in then changing riparian areas so the animals that normally live in that area and also the sedimentation that comes from it as well. The river's being dammed up from the dead trees. That will all have an impact on the quality of the river.

Narrator

As you have witnessed in this episode, there are stakeholders who have grave concerns for the health of the Upper Clarence River. These people rely on the river system for social and economic security. Loss of the riparian health is having significant cultural and environmental impacts. At this stage, you may be starting to formulate some ideas of how to help.

List of sources and acknowledgements:

1. Video – Drone Footage of The Everlasting Swamp. We would like to thank The Everlasting Swamp National Park and Jessica Robertson Photography and Design for contributing their beautiful drone footage

1. Image – Landcare workers. Provided by Envite Environment

1. Image and video – Canoeing on the Upper Clarence River. Provided by Steven Ross and Clarence River wilderness lodge

1. Narration – Voice over by Robert Llewellyn, New Soul Projects

1. Acknowledgment. – We wish to thank Father Pop Harry Walker, Annabelle Walker, Roy Bell, Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council, Steve Walker, Marty Walker, David Foley, Upper Clarence River Landcare, Terry Moody, Steven Ross, Frederick Ellis

[End of transcript]

WARNING – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following video may contain images and voices of deceased persons.

[Screen reads – Focus question: Where to next? How can we better manage the Upper Clarence River Catchment?]

Melissa

Through this Virtual Excursion, we have learned about the varied nature of riparian zones, and the threat that the Cat's Claw Creeper poses to their healthy future. The complexity of the issue in the Clarence River catchment must be balanced with the needs and motivation of various stakeholders, along with the difficulty and expense of long-term eradication processes. To create a clear strategy to address the issue, it is best to hear from those managing the weed locally. Here we heard from Marty and Steve, local Bundjalung Landcare officers. When we're looking at a catchment management issue, we really are looking at the whole catchment as a system. So farmers operating in these areas, how do you work with farmers on managing this problem?

Marty

Well, most of them, we got to work on their property.

Melissa

Is there any rules to make the farmers do that work?

Steve

No, there's no rules.

Melissa

No rules, yeah.

Marty

It's that weed, I said this clearly.

Melissa

I guess because if it's upstream, that problem then spreads continually downstream. And unless the farmers are working in sections, and some are doing the management and some are not, then that increases the problem. Do you know far down it goes, down the river system?

Steve

Straight up to Grafton.

Melissa

Total catchment management is defined in the New South Wales Catchment Management Act of 1989 as 'The coordinated and sustainable use and management of land, water, vegetation, and other natural resources, on a water catchment basis, to balance resource use and conservation.'

The act provides the structure for integrated natural resource and environmental management in New South Wales. In practise, total catchment management has three elements.

The philosophy, based on stewardship. In essence, holding natural resources in trust, having a duty of care, and leaving them in first-class order for the next generation.

The process, a means of achieving ecologically sustainable development through effective and efficient government-community partnerships. In this system, the surface water catchment is a basic, but not exclusive, unit of management.

Thirdly, the administrative structure. As set out in the New South Wales Catchment Management Act, it recognises the value of community input, such as localised Catchment Management Committees, Landcare, Bushcare and Dunecare groups, which play a key role in working towards effective and sustainable catchment management outcomes.

The Cat's Claw Creeper is so prolific now in the Clarence River catchment, there will be a need for drastic efforts to restore the natural habitat. Landcare representative Terry Moody suggests that specific sites need to be selected for management now.

Terry Moody [CEO and weed expert, Upper Clarence combined landcare] – In some other areas, you might just have to let it go, with the limited resources that we have. So it's a combination for us of looking at a catchment, trying to work from the top all the way down, because those seeds blow up and down, but the tubers get washed primarily down. And then picking individual sites themselves for their own special values.

Narrator

Roy Bell outlined the culturally significant scar trees and native turtles that have been lost, and must be made a priority. The problem is vast. The attention that it has received as an environmental issue has been minimal, so where to next? How can we best manage the Upper Clarence River Catchment to control the spread and impact of the Cat's Claw Creeper? How can we save our catchment?

[List of sources and acknowledgements:

1. Video – Drone footage of The Everlasting Swamp. We would like to thank The Everlasting Swamp National Park and Jessica Robertson Photography and Design for contributing their beautiful drone footage
   
2. Image and video – Canoeing on the Upper Clarence River. Provided by Steven Ross and Clarence River wilderness lodge
   
3. Narration – Voice over by Melissa Ellis, Southern Cross School of Distance Education
   
4. Acknowledgment – We wish to thank Father Pop Harry Walker, Annabelle Walker, Roy Bell, Jubullum Local Aboriginal Land Council, Steve Walker, Marty Walker, David Foley, Upper Clarence River Landcare, Terry Moody, Steven Ross, Frederick Ellis]
   

[End of transcript]