Dr Emer O’Gara, Coordinator Plant Diseases Program at the Parks and Wildlife Service and Dr Kylie Ireland from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development were Guest Speakers at a recent Track Care general meeting. They shared extremely important information about a serious threat to our beautiful Western Australian environment, and how Track care members can actively help protect our environment with the My Pest Guide app. 

Myrtle rust is an exotic fungus that arrived in the Eastern States in 2010 and has since then spread to all other States and Territories except SA and WA.  It affects plants from the Myrtaceae family which includes but isn’t restricted to Eucalypts, Geraldton wax, Callistemon, WA peppermints.  It is an air-borne fungus so is expected to arrive in WA at some point.  During their presentation, Dr O’Gara and Dr Ireland shared:
the impact that Myrtle can have on our environment,
how to recognise Myrtle Rust,
how we can help to keep an eye out for Myrtle Rust,
how to report any suspicious sightings by using the PIRD My Pest Guide app,
how, most importantly, to avoid inadvertently bringing it into Western Australia.

 

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