Help prevent the spread of invasive cacti

People travel through the North West region of NSW each year with popular tourist destinations like Lightning Ridge, attracting approximately 80,000 tourists each year where invasive cacti are a serious problem. Uncontrolled, invasive cactus spread easily and rapidly through the landscape. They are hard to manage and degrading land.

Cacti are known to attach to vehicles and then drop off kilometers from where they first attached. Cacti are adaptable, grow anywhere and they will root in the unlikeliest of places not needing many resources to survive.

Cacti have serious consequences and the potential to; injure people, livestock and pets; reduce land value; displace native flora; kill native fauna; make mustering difficult; penetrate skin, shoes and tyres with their spines.

Cacti are recognised for being drought tolerant, they are not native to Australia and can be highly invasive if not managed appropriately. If during your travels you see a unique looking cactus, avoid collecting. The flowers or fruit could also lead to its spread.