Scotch Broom eradicated by gall mites

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Transcript

00:00Aussie Ark has found and executed an ecological miracle.

00:05We've found the silver bullet to destroy the noxious weed scotch broom.

00:10This plant was introduced from England in the early 1900s to the Barrington Tops for ornamental gardens.

00:16It's spread right across the Barrington Tops now, the World Heritage listed Barrington Tops.

00:22Its thick, short canopy chokes out native flora and wipes out wildlife.

00:27It was all over the Ark.

00:30We've been fighting it for years, a decade in fact, with more traditional methods like spraying, clearing, with very limited success.

00:40Then, in 2016, we partnered with Scone Landcare in Landcare NSW.

00:46We released the English Broom Mite.

00:49This teeny insect specifically destroys scotch broom.

00:54It's an environmental hero, a natural control solution.

00:58In less than 10 years, we eradicated scotch broom from the Ark.

01:03But it was a slow burn for eight and a half of those years.

01:06And then it went boom, and the magic happened.

01:10The Mite sits dormant each winter, and each spring, they get active again.

01:15And that's when Aussie Ark wants to strike.

01:17Now, Aussie Ark is broom-free, but our state forest neighbours, our national parks neighbours, local landholders,

01:23we encourage everyone to get involved.

01:25Aussie Ark has the might, a surplus of them.

01:28It's time to strike.

01:30If you would like to join Aussie Ark to help roll out this natural, biological, environmental control program,

01:37come on!

01:38Join Aussie Ark's War on Weeds.

01:40Join Aussie Ark on Weeds.

01:41Join Aussie Ark on Weeds.