The Marriage from Hell

Waste & Argentine Ants on Norfolk Island

Argentine Ants, native to Argentina were accidentally introduced to mainland Australia around 50 years ago and first came to Norfolk Island 8 years ago. They are found in Tasmania, and have a super colony under Melbourne extending for 100 km. A 30 year eradication action in Sydney all but completely killed them off however this ended in 1983 due to health concerns surrounding the chemicals being used as was a similar program in Western Australia which began in 1954 and ended in 1988 after public opinion lead to the cessation of the action due to concern over the high residual toxicity of the chemicals being used. At that time around 92% of the original 17,000 ha was cleared of Argentine Ants.

They take over regions through the ability to work together and the huge numbers present in colonies. Ants taken from various regions in Australia all share the same pheromone markers identifying them as belonging to the same family or colony. I.e. They have a common genetic starting point. This permits them to identify each other as friends or family which removes the need for aggression and wallah...success!

Recent research in the states has found that by altering the pheromones on the ants of a colony it is possible to disrupt the happy home and cause a ‘civil war’ amongst the ants. This is how the ants are controlled naturally in their homeland of Argentina, fighting amongst different colonies.

This line of research has huge potential however at present the only accepted method of control is by chemical means. Of the chemical application methods baiting is the current best management option due to their colonial structure and location of nests. Up to 8 queens are produced for every 1000 worker ants which may form nests in tree hollows, mulch, and underground, just about anywhere. This results in many nests with a rapid and high ability to reproduce (Larva hatch between 11-50 days of incubation). When threatened reproduction increases.

Baiting relies on the worker ants carrying the poisoning agent back to the nest were it is consumed by the colony resulting in devastation of the population. Given this very effective method of action it typically accounts for around 99% of the target species easily however it requires much more effort and diligence to eradicate the remaining 1%.

Following such large scale reduction to the Argentine ant’s colonial size the response of the ant is usually to reproduce at rates exceeding the pre-treatment state. For this reason it is imperative that any strategy aimed at fully eradicating the Argentine Ant be practical and applicable and has the necessary resources to undertake all aspects of the project. To stop during or mid program would be waste of time, money and effort.

Such is the current case of managing the AA on Norfolk Island. The eradication process began in December of 2008 and ran for 2 weeks. In line with accepted methods bait was applied in paste form every meter in the identified infested western region of the island. Unfortunately before all areas could be treated the bait ran out. The waste management centre was left for the moment and waste began to build up as it was realised that authorities could not transport ant infested waste around the island and undo the good work done with the pasting.

Now (April 28th 2009), 4 months after the end of the first unsuccessful program the administration is at it again. During April they have been baiting on a small scale the waste management centre. And again administration has run out of bait. The Norfolk Island Administration applied and received permission to burn all the green waste and mixed builders’ waste which had been accumulating on the island over the last 12 months next to the international airport and the main township Burnt Pine. This permission was given to them by themselves as they are the authorising body on the island. Now the mixed builders waste contained and still contains all sorts of nasties including paints, motorbikes, asbestos, plastics, computers, batteries and the list goes on. It also contains some wood!

The reasoning was that baiting for the ants could not go ahead due to the possible safety concerns for workers and the fact that it is impossible to effectively bait the large piles of waste and any such attempt would be futile waste of time, money and effort.

So, burning commenced on the 10th of March and soon after people started going to hospital for illnesses such as severe asthma attacks and eye irritations (little wonder when the gaseous emissions undoubtedly contained toxins such as dioxins and furans as well as a large amount of particulate matter).Unfortunately the accepted method of assessing air pollution (via visual appearance i.e. Does it look alright?) failed to pick up the invisible toxic components in the emissions.

Whilst this was carrying on the AA started recolonising the western region of the island again (which had actually began 3 weeks after the pasting program ended) and new colonies were identified in the eastern side of the island.

Calls to the authorities were greeted with reassurances that this was all part of the overall strategic plan for the island to deal with these issues and follow up actions will soon be implemented.

So when the baiting recommenced in April it was thought that it may be under control, except that about 50% of the waste was still on site and as such effective baiting could not be done. This begs the question of what exactly are the objectives of the Norfolk Island Administration For so far it appeared that it was to stimulate ant reproduction deplete the financial reserves of the island, place highly toxic pellets all over our farms and catchments and force residents into hospitals and out of their homes.

At this point correspondence with George Plant the CEO of Norfolk Island was initiated and once again reassurance was given that the actions were all part of a strategic plan. However the details were absent.

There is a 5 page letter on Peter Garrett's desk from the NSW Environmental Defenders Office on behalf of EcoNorfolk Foundation which presents this situation and asking for action from the Federal Government.

This is where we stand as of ... April 28th 2009.

The Research Institute for Asia and the Pacific Australia Korea
Young Leaders Exchange Program


The Research Institute for Asia and the Pacific (RIAP) at the University of Sydney, in partnership with the Australia Korea Foundation(AKF) and the Korea Foundation (KF), is launched a new Australia-Korea initiative in late 2007, focusing on the environment.

 

The Australia Korea Young Leaders Exchange Program (AKYLEP), was funded by the AKF, work to develop the leadership skills of potential and/or current leaders from both Australia and Korea, aged between 25 and 45, in specifically identified subject areas or themes.

 

In 2007 a delegation of between 8-10 young Australian environmental leaders travelled to Korea for 8 days, departing Sydney. During their time overseas, delegates participated in a number of leadership briefings, followed by a series of meetings with their Korean counterparts. In addition, delegates undertook site visits to relevant institutions and industries, and had the opportunity to develop an understanding of contemporary Korean culture and society.

 

If you have read the FAQ section of the website and still require further information, please contact Rachel Nolan: r.nolan@usyd.edu.au

1000 Pines to be Planted in Honour of UNESCO leader in sustainability
 

These pines are part of the 1000 trees to be planted in honour of the director of the Global Footprint Network, Dr. Mathis Wackernagel and his sustainability work with UNESCO. The pines have been planted on portion 142b Norfolk Island as a part of Stage 1 of the EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) Showcase and have been funded by Commonwealth of Australia Envirofund.

A big thank you to the local and visiting volunteers, International Wwoofers (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) and also Pam and Pat Miller from Eagle Hill Organic Farm in Western Australia for their commitment to regeneration of Norfolk Island’s native flora. The Millers’ have planted over 700 pines whilst on the Island, assisting us in significantly lowering emissions.

Also keen to help out were members of the Lions Club International visiting from New Zealand, who helped the EcoNorfolk Foundation in planting over 100 trees. The remainder of the trees are to be planted by volunteers such as international Wwoofers arriving in the near future.

Triple bottomline software now available
How does your organization rate?
 

Bottomline3 calculates your organisation's Triple Bottomline Account including a choice of financial, social, and environmental indicators, combining as a Footprint rating - a measure of your impact upon the environment. The methodology behind this revolutionary software was created by the team at Sydney University's Integrated Sustainability Analysis (I.S.A) team.

EcoNorfolk (in association with Australian Farm Forestry) is currently the only licensee of Triple bottom line software for the Eastern seaboard of Australia. This exciting new venture means great savings and gains for businesses and organisations alike. The software is
designed to be an easy, user-friendly task-based package that relies upon the operator to simply input data, and the software then performs complex calculations to gain the impact rating.
 

Get Footprinted!

EcoNorfolk are offering the Bottomline3 software at a reduced rate from the RRP when purchased directly, however we are also offering the provision of an exciting new in-house consultation service. Only some of the benefits of the in-house service include:

> EcoNorfolk compile the data and evaluate the calculations, saving your precious time.
> Find out your organisation's BL3 rating - your Social, Environmental or Carbon Footprint - and how you can improve your sustainability rating.
> Gain the Footprint logo for use for one year – exclusive to our in-house service.

Want further information on Bottomline3? Click here Or if you would like EcoNorfolk to provide a consultation for your organization please contact EcoNorfolk.
 

Closure of Norfolk Island's Ocean Outfall

Norfolk Island is leading the Australian mainland by being the first closure of ocean outfall by 2015. In a policy recommended by the Norfolk Island Administration in August 2002, Norfolk Island demonstrated its commitment to furthering sustainable practices and its ability to make – and meet – responsible target deadlines. The policy recommended that "any effluent or solid waste that is transferred from the Waste Service Centre should not result in any receiving coastal waters or land on the Island becoming more noxious or poisonous to humans or to aquatic or terrestrial wildlife…"
 
The Headstone Reserve, located on the western side of Norfolk Island, is currently home to a Waste disposal site, which consists of a large metal cage for the burning of combustible materials and also a large ocean outfall shute, where non-combustible "clean" materials such as metals and glass are deposited into the ocean.
 
This historic move to close the outfall at the Headstone Reserve Waste disposal site came with a recommendation to implement a wide range of environmentally sustainable and responsible practices, and of such many of these initiatives have already made progress (such as the removal of automobile batteries, safe removal of asbestos, etc).
 
The Closure of the Headstone ocean outfall initiative will need to implement the following strategy to attain its goal by 2015:
 

 

44 Gallon drums and household rubbish burning at Headstone to be dumped in the ocean.

> First, the development of a waste inventory to identify the complete costs of each type of waste (ie, economical costs, ecological costs) generated on Norfolk Island. The inventory will consist of both weighbridge data and sampling of wastes from commerce and industry, serving to create a detailed waste profile from which to calculate the various costs of treatment and disposal.
 
> Benchmarks need to be put in place to monitor the performance and progress towards the 2015 target.
 
> The establishment of a resource exchange network to match wastes with requirements.
 
> The provision of feedback to the Norfolk Island community regarding the progress toward achieving the 2015 closure goal. This will be essential to both identify potential problems and also gain public support for the initiative.

A report on the progress in achieving the 2015 target will be produced annually.

 

> Download the Bottomline3 Brochure
>
> Bottomline 3
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> Argentine Ant - Davis 2008
>
> Norfolk Island Aquatic Survey - McCormack & Coughran 2009
>



 
 
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