NT residents are calling for urgent action to fight a fire-prone grass introduced to Australia as cattle food that’s devastating native plants and animals in the Top End and threatening the lives of locals and tourists this Dry Season.

Gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus) is a tall African grass that the Australian cattle industry has embraced for its ability to support many more cattle than native pasture and its tolerance of tropical seasons. Gamba grass is highly flammable, growing in clumps as tall as four metres with stems as thick as bamboo.

Australian eco-tourism expert and long-time NT resident Denise Goodfellow describes the gamba grass infestations of the Top End as “verging on the catastrophic”. "While the NT Government has put much effort into fighting gamba grass, we need to recognise that it’s more than a nuisance weed – it is a disaster waiting to happen,” she warns.

“I thought gamba grass was bad in the Darwin River area, but the Adelaide River/Batchelor infestation must be seen to be believed. What the hell is going to happen in the Adelaide River region come the late Dry? I’m beginning to think it suicidal to live in such areas. People - residents, tourists and firefighters - are at risk.  Firefighters are saying they can’t always defend landholders here because so many gamba-fuelled fires are uncontrollable, and that sooner or later people are going to die.”

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