An exciting two-year project beginning this year is Parklands’ ‘Applying Technology to Tackle Invasive Pest Plants’. This project will engage and educate the community and land owners in strategies to target the eradication of weeds such as invasive grasses, black willow, and blackberry.

New and emerging technologies can provide efficient solutions to many tasks and environmental management is no different. For example, while hand-spraying of blackberry is efficient in controlling it where it is accessible, this invasive plant often occurs in areas of difficult terrain such as steep gullies. But by using a drone specially designed for chemical spraying, hard-to-reach blackberry can be controlled.

Mick from local company AviAg Drone Services will lead some demonstration days to show off what these drones can do!

The first demonstration day on the use of spraying drones is Wed 26 March. If this sounds like something of interest to you, please go to the event page for all the information and how to register.

This project is financially supported by the Victorian Government’s Partnerships Against Pests Program.