From Plans to Practice:
Tackling Weeds and Pest Together
A coordinated, landscape-wide approach remains essential to protecting agriculture, biodiversity and community assets across the Latrobe Catchment.
Building on the foundations of the Latrobe Catchment Weed & Pest Strategy 2025–2030, this new project focuses on turning regional planning into practical, visible action on the ground.
From Plans to Practice: Tackling Weeds and Pests Together will support landholders, local councils, Traditional Owners and community groups to work collaboratively to manage priority weed and pest threats. By combining demonstration sites, hands-on learning, and strong partnerships, the project aims to build long-term capacity and shared responsibility for pest and weed management across the region.
The purpose of this project is to translate the Latrobe Catchment Weed & Pest Strategy 2025–2030 into coordinated, community-driven action that strengthens skills, partnerships and confidence among those managing land across the catchment.
The project will:
Build capacity by delivering practical, hands-on learning opportunities and demonstrations that support effective weed and pest control.
Build capability by supporting local champions and peer mentors to lead and share best practice.
Strengthen strategic delivery by operationalising the regional strategy through targeted demonstration projects.
Raise awareness by using digital communication and face-to-face engagement to reach disengaged or hard-to-reach landholders.
Strengthen partnerships and collaboration between councils, agencies, Traditional Owners and community groups to improve coordination and outcomes.
The project will deliver:
Three demonstration field sites showcasing integrated weed and pest management approaches in real-world settings.
One regional forum or community event to support collaboration, shared learning and cross-sector partnerships.
15–20 targeted landholder advisory visits, providing tailored advice and direct support.
A communications package, including signage, flyers, social media content and visual storytelling to share learnings more broadly.
A monitoring and evaluation framework, measuring baseline conditions and post-project outcomes to inform future investment.
Purchase and registration of capital equipment, including a drone, camera traps, pest traps and display materials to support monitoring, engagement and education.
Latrobe Catchment Landcare Network will work closely with local councils, Agriculture Victoria, the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, Traditional Owners and community partners to ensure actions are aligned, complementary and strategically targeted.
By moving from planning to practice, this project recognises that everyone has a role to play in tackling weeds and pests — and that shared effort, local leadership and practical support are key to achieving lasting results across the Latrobe Catchment.
We’re kicking off our From Plans to Practice: Tackling Weeds and Pests Together project with a no-nonsense, hands-on rabbit control workshop for landholders who are well and truly fed up with rabbits undoing their hard work.
This first workshop, Rabbits: Breaking the Cycle, will focus on what actually works – demonstrating coordinated, whole-system control methods and showing why timing and technique matter if you want lasting results.
Learn effective, coordinated control methods:
Mapping - identify burrows, runs and feeding areas so you know where to act.
Smoking warrens - visually reveal the true size and complexity of burrow systems.
Warren destruction - watch a burrow network ripped by an excavator
Baiting and Fumigation - methods and timing explained
Exclusion fencing …and much more.
Register here - it’s a FREE event …but places are limited!!!
The 2026 Latrobe Catchment Landcare Networks From Plans to Practice: Tackling Weeds and Pests Together project is supported by the Victorian Government through the Partnerships Against Pests Program.
