What would you guess is the largest environmental threat to our iconic deserts? Feral animals? Contaminated or depleted water tables? Desertification?

Actually, it’s a grass. Since its introduction in the 1960s and 70s, and particularly in the last couple of decades, buffel grass has spread like wildfire through central so-called Australia. It’s wreaking havoc on fragile arid ecosystems, and ranks higher than any other environmental threat in terms of its social and cultural impacts for Aboriginal people.

How is one little grass doing so much damage? To find out, I spoke to Alex Vaughan and Kat Herbert from ALEC, the Arid Lands Environment Centre, in Mparntwe (Alice Springs). ALEC’s ‘Beat Back Buffel’ campaign is a world-leading effort to manage the spread of Buffel Grass through the continent’s arid ecosystems.

Sign the petition to declare buffel a Weed of National Significance: https://www.alec.org.au/wons_25

Earth Matters #1532 was produced by Mia Audrey on Wurundjeri Woiwurrung country.