The Vegetation of Snowy River Shire

The Snowy River Shire Council is nestled within the sub-alpine region of the Monaro an elevated plateau that stretches north to Canberra, south to Victoria, west the Kosciuszko Ranges and east to the Kybean Range. In the western parts, the landscape consists mostly of flat to undulating terrain often referred to as the 'treeless plain' It is home to unique and endangered native grasslands.

The Snowy River Shire shares the grassy plains of the Monaro with Bombala and Cooma-Monaro Shires. Three bioregions are represented in the shire: the South Eastern Highlands (59%); Australian Alps (23%) and the South-Eastern Corner Region (18%).

The Monaro has unique geographical features - its elevation of 800-1000 metres above sea level and its location in the lee of the Snowy Mountains. One third of the Snowy River Shire is located within the ecologically significant and biodiverse Kosciuszko National Park. A further third is protected in nature reserves or environmental protection areas manged by council. Much of the remainder has been cleared for agriculture and urban settlement.

Predominantly a pastoral district the Monaro region relies on native grasses as pasture for stock. Ninety-five per cent of the gross value of agricultural production on the Monaro comes from wool and beef. The main perennial grassland species that support the Monaro grazing industry are Poa labillardierei (Poa Tussock), Poa sieberiana (Snow Grass), Austrodanthonia (Wallaby Grass) and Austrostipa scabra (Spear Grass).

The Snowy River Shire also overlays two major water catchment areas; the Southern Rivers Catchment and the Murrumbidgee Catchment. For further assistance with managing native grasslands in your catchment area contact the relevant Catchment Management Authority. The catchment in which your property lies depends on whether you are situated east of the Great Dividing Range (Murrumbidgee Catchment) or West (Southern Rivers Catchment)

View information on native grasslands from the Southern Rivers Catchment Management Authority at Managing Grasslands on the Monaro

Or view information on native grasslands from the Murrumbidgee Catchment Management Authority at Native Grasslands in the Murrumbidgee Catchment

Weeds are seen as one of the largest threats to the native grasslands and to agriculture, but weeds can quite often be a symptom of other serious forms of land degradation. Noxious weeds can cost landmanagers and the native environment highly in lost production, valuable time required to control the weeds and loss of biodiversity.

What is a Noxious Weed?