The Illawarra District Weeds Authority’s Bitou Bush management operations this week will use a more innovative and targeted approach using drones to target the invasive weed.
Bitou Bush out-compete and in many cases totally eliminate the native flora along our coast.
It forms dense shrubs obscuring entire sand dunes and changing views of headlands and beaches, destroying coastal biodiversity.
Drones provide previously unimaginable precision when mapping out a target area and pinpoint accuracy when spraying.
This means an end to abseiling down cliffs to spot spray hard to reach places.
It also means a significant reduction in spray drift given the access and accuracy a drone provides.
Traditional techniques of manual removal, revegetation and ground-based spraying will be used for more accessible areas.
The drone trial starts this week along a section of cliff line on vacant Crown Land south of Kiama.
The trial follows a similar program undertaken by MidCoast Council in 2020, which achieved very promising results.
There will be signage and staff on the ground to inform any people in the immediate area.
This work is funded through the NSW Government’s Crown Reserves Improvement Fund Program.
Kiama Council is a member of the Illawarra District Weeds Authority.
