Good Neighbours Program

Local Land Services is delivering the NSW Government program to support landholders in the fight against pests and weeds at the boundaries between privately owned land and publicly managed land.

Two men talking and walking side by side away from the camera along a mowed paddock with trees and long grass in the background and a fence in the foreground.
Local Land Services staff stand in front of a car talking to a farmer who points into his property.

About the program

Local Land Services' Good Neighbours Program aims to protect the NSW economy, environment and community by investing in pest and weed management through enhanced collaboration, training and coordinated control activities.  

Key information

  • Over 70% of NSW’s threatened species and endangered ecological communities are impacted by invasive species. 
  • Effective pest and weed management is critical for maintaining ecological balance, agricultural productivity, and biodiversity.  
  • The NSW Government will bring key stakeholders together to deliver a coordinated program to manage pest and weed infestations where public and private land boundaries meet.

 

Objectives

Foster collaboration between public and private land managers to improve pest and weed management across boundaries.

Enhance pest and weed management efforts through coordinated, multi-agency control activities in priority areas.

Build community capabilities and understanding of the Biosecurity Act 2015 through engagement and targeted training.

Improve public reporting and data sharing on pest and weed management. 

Our approach

Good Neighbours Program activities include: 

  • agency-run programs
  • upskilling and training delivery and support
  • boosting and collaborating with other existing programs and projects.
1

Establishment

Work in 2024 included:

  • setting up a governance model and structure
  • creation of a stakeholder reference group
  • conducting an environmental scan
  • behavioural insights research
  • project selection. 
2

On-ground work

  • Round 1 projects.
  • Round 2 projects.
  • Targeted training for public agency staff.
  • Stakeholder engagement between Local Land Services (LLS) and public and private land managers. 
3

Close

The program is set for completion by 30 June 2026. 

Local Land Services staff standing in front of pig trap.

Round 1 projects

Image

A herd of goats walk along the curb of an urban street.

Tamworth peri-urban pest plan

North West Region

LLS is supporting Local Control Authorities to develop and deliver a pest plan to manage invasive species in Tamworth’s peri-urban areas.

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A field of invasive cactuses amongst scrubland.

Boxing glove control

Western Region

LLS is supporting land managers to reduce the spread of Boxing glove cactus through Sturt National Park and the Tibooburra area.

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A cactus in the middle of scrub grasses.

Jumping cholla control

Western Region

LLS is managing cacti in Broken Hill area and surrounding stations.

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A bright orange flower cluster close up amongst a green field.

Orange hawkweed control

South East Region

LLS is supporting this control with funding to improve the effectiveness of the current program, by enhancing surveillance and on-ground surveys.

Bathurst Forestry weeds plan

Central Tablelands region

LLS is partnering with Foresty Corporation NSW to reduce weeds in high priority areas such as riverbanks and areas bordering private land managers.

Partner:

  • Forestry Corporation NSW.
Blackberry and St John’s wort strategic weed management and control

Central West region

LLS is supporting the coordinated and strategic control of Blackberry and St John’s Wort impacting Goobang National Park’s biodiversity.

Partner:

  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Cane toad management

North Coast region

LLS is working with multiple agencies and programs to increase the control success of cane toads and reduce their impacts on the community.

Partners:

  • Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • Forestry Corporation NSW.
Central Tablelands feral pig management

Central Tablelands region

LLS is increasing the success of alternative control measures for feral pigs impacting the Central Tablelands forestry areas and neighbouring private landholders.

Partners:

  • Forestry Corporation NSW.
Chinese violet management

North Coast region

LLS is partnering with Local Control Authorities to support landholders in eradicating Chinese Violet on properties on the verge of the World Heritage-listed Wollumbin National Park and Jerusalem National Park.

Partners:

  • Local Control Authorities.
Far South coastal weeds management

South East region

LLS is working alongside Far South Coast Landcare Association, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and Local Control Authorities to control coastal weeds including Bitou Bush and Sea Spurge along priority beaches.

Partners:

  • Far South Coast Landcare Association
  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • Local Control Authorities.
Forestry pest management neighbour’s program

Western, Central West, Central Tablelands, North West, Riverina and Murray regions 

LLS is supporting Forestry Corporation NSW to manage pests, specifically pigs and foxes, along boundaries with private land managers.

Partners:

  • Forestry Corporation NSW.
Hudson pear management

Western region 

LLS is supporting the Western region to manage Hudson Pear, which is impacting private landholders and Kinchega National Park.

Partners:

  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • Local Control Authorities.
Job’s tears management

North Coast and other priority regions

LLS is supporting Local Control Authorities to manage Job’s Tears throughout multiple LLS regions. 

Partners:

  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • Local Control Authorities.
North Coast and Northern Tablelands feral pig management

North Coast and Northern Tablelands regions

LLS is supporting the efforts of NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Local Control Authorities and the North Coast community in a broad scale pig control approach across 12 reserves and associated private landholders.

Partner:

  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Parthenium weed management

North West region

LLS is increasing the Parthenium Weed Program to improve management efforts alongside Croppa Creek and prevent spread across the region.

Partner:

  • Local Control Authorities.
Red cestrum management and control

North Coast region

LLS is partnering with Local Control Authorities to increase the control of Red Cestrum across the Dorrigo Plateau.

Partner:

  • Local Control Authorities.
Tropical soda apple management

North Coast region

LLS is partnering with Local Control Authorities to manage Tropical Soda Apple throughout multiple Local Land Services regions. 

Partners:

  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • Local Control Authorities.
Wild horse cross tenure management program

North Coast region

LLS is taking an integrated approach to addressing the wild horse population in the Barcoongere area to reduce the safety risks to the community.

Partners:

  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • Forestry Corporation NSW.
World Heritage Area feral deer management

Central Tablelands, Hunter, Greater Sydney and South-East regions 

LLS is collaborating with multiple key stakeholders to enhance the protection of the World Heritage Area through feral deer management.

Partners: 

  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • Invasive Species Council 
  • Forestry Corporation NSW.

Learn more about the Boxing glove control project

4:50

Working together in the fight against boxing glove cactus - Good Neighbours Program

Local Land Services' Good Neighbours Program aims to protect the NSW economy, environment and community by investing in pest and weed management.

Read transcript
Video transcript

Working together in the fight against boxing glove cactus - Good Neighbours Program

My name is Matthew Kennedy
I’m with Local Land Services
the Good Neighbours Program
we’re currently in Tibooburra looking at boxing glove cactus
the Good Neighbours Program is
a program where we look to collaborate
or encourage collaboration between
different forms of landholders
so government landholders with private landholders
or it can be government landholders
with government landholders
we do that because we can see a need that
for us to be able to effectively deal with
a number of biosecurity issues
we need collaboration
we need different landholder groups
on both sides of the fence
with the idea of a cross-tenure basis
to work towards the objective that we’re after
My name’s Jack Anderson
I live out at Mount Stuart Station, manage it there
I’ve lived at Mount Stuart now for nine years
so it’s me out there, my wife Mercedes
and little man, Alfie
so, a family run property
we run mainly merinos here and a few cows
so Tibooburra is in the far northwest corner of New South Wales
just near Cameron’s Corner
three and a half hours north of Broken Hill
we’re only fifty kilometres off the Queensland border
Sturt National Park runs all along our northern boundary
so we’ve got a fair bit of boundary with the park
we’re currently on a private landholder’s property
and there’s a fairly serious infestation of
boxing glove cactus here
which is devastating for the landholder because of the
impacts that it has on production and so forth
and this site is right next to a creek site
and a flood zone, and what happens is
it keeps on pushing this cactus further and further
along the creek
while it’s devastating for our landholder
also what it’s going to do is it’s going to continue
to make it’s way to a national park
now that national park is a Ramsar site
it’s a site that has been designated of international importance
and if we were to get the cactus in there
it would be exceptionally bad
my name is Dan Hough, I’m the team leader field operations
for West Darling area of New South Wales
National Parks and Wildlife Service
Mount Stuart wraps around the bottom half of Tibooburra
and Sturt National Park wraps around the top half
the boxing glove cactus
the original infestation was in the township of Tibooburra
but also out at the tip
but it’s since spread north onto the park, onto Sturt
there’s also the boxing glove cactus up at
the creek there, which flows into Caryapundy Swamp
so it’s a threat to the Ramsar wetlands
right across the state we’ve got lots of different tenure
across New South Wales
but pest animals and pest weeds just don’t recognise boundaries
where we are now, this landholder, the infestation
that they’re having to deal with
there’s a lot involved here for them
and so that’s where we’re coming in
to be a partner with them
and collaborating with people like National Parks
in this particular area
so it’s not just the destruction of the cactus
and to get in control of that
we’re also wanting to foster relationships
where both landholders and public land managers
have a relationship that is
really connected, so that in the future
if this type of stuff happens again
that they’re able to work together
if we can work with LLS and with our neighbours
with the boxing glove cactus as an example
to get a good control over it
that’s the best outcome, eradication is
difficult and there’s always got to be ongoing monitoring
but to get a broader nil tenure approach to it
obviously better control
we can impact on that population
that’ll be the best outcome
this Good Neighbours Program
on your own it’s a big job, but it’s doable
with all of us joining together
the more we do now, we won’t have to
Alfie won’t have to worry about doing it later on
so his legacy will be chasing sheep, not chasing cactus
so if we were to come back in ten years’ time
and have a look at the project that we’ve been a part of here
success is not just the defeat of the cactus
success is also that collaboration, that relationship
between the different landholders
if we can see that, then Good Neighbours has done their job.

Round 2 projects

Controlling kudzu vine weed bordering the Comboyne township

North Coast

LLS is supporting public agencies and private landholders to deliver a weed management project to control the invasive vine weed kudzu on private and public land bordering the township of Comboyne on the NSW North Coast. This effort aims to reduce the spread and impact of kudzu to a level where land managers can continue to manage its impacts.

Partners:

  • Port Macquarie Hastings Council
  • Forestry Corporation of NSW
  • private landholders.
Controlling glory lily in conservation and cultural areas within the Macleay region

North Coast

LLS is supporting public agencies, community groups and private landholders to deliver a targeted priority weed management project focusing on the localised containment of glory lily along coastal dunes within national parks, public land, and Local Aboriginal Land Council land.  

Partners:

  • South West Rocks Community Dune Care
  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • Kempsey Shire Council
  • Kempsey Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Feral deer management in the Euabalong area

Western

LLS in collaboration with public agencies and private landholders will deliver a comprehensive pest management program. This program will target feral deer on public and private land in the Hillston-Euabalong area.

Partners:

  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • private landholders.
Gwydir Valley pest management project

Northern Tablelands and North West

LLS is supporting public agencies and local landholders to deliver a collaborative pest management project to reduce the impact of feral deer and other priority pests in the Gwydir State Conservation Area. The project will undertake control measures and build skills, capacity and collaboration for ongoing management. 

Partners:

  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • Forestry Corporation of NSW.
Increasing tropical soda apple management across the North Coast and Northern Tablelands

North Coast and Northern Tablelands

LLS is working with public agencies on a coordinated effort to control tropical soda apple on different types of public land and neighbouring properties in areas across the North Coast and Northern Tablelands regions. 

Partners:

  • Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • Forestry Corporation of NSW
  • Rous County Council
  • Armidale Regional Council
  • Tenterfield Shire Council
  • Thungutti Local Aboriginal Land Council
  • private landholders.
Impact reduction of red cestrum in the Killabakh Nature Reserve

North Coast and Hunter

LLS is supporting public agencies and private landholders to deliver a targeted weed management project. This project will aim to control red cestrum along roadsides and other public and private land in Killabakh Nature Reserve. 

Partners:

  • Port Macquarie Hastings Council
  • MidCoast Council
  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • private landholders.
Improving statewide biosecurity strategic management on Crown Lands

Statewide

LLS is supporting Crown Lands and adjoining landholders to develop, implement an improved statewide biosecurity strategy to guide best practice biosecurity management.

Improving wild dog management across the Central Tablelands

Central tablelands

LLS in conjunction with public and private land managers will develop a strategic plan to assess and implement best practice wild dog control across the Central Tablelands.

Partners:

  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • Forestry Corporation of NSW
  • Crown Lands
  • Corporate land managers
  • private landholders.
Managing pests across Central Tablelands state forests

Central Tablelands

LLS is supporting Forestry Corporation of NSW and private landholders to conduct on-ground control in the Bathurst region. The project aims to reduce the impacts of a broad range of invasive species, primarily feral deer.

Partners:

  • Forestry Corporation of NSW
  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • private landholders.
Minimising threats to coastal emu populations within the Clarence region

North Coast

LLS is supporting public agencies and private landholders to reduce the impacts of invasive vertebrate pests on the endangered coastal emu population in and around the forests of the Clarence region.

Partners: 

  • Forestry Corporation of NSW
  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • private landholders.
North Bathurst pest management project

Central Tablelands

LLS is supporting public agencies and private landholders participating in the North Bathurst pest management project. The project aims to reduce the impacts of feral deer and pigs across both public and private land.

Partners:

  • Crown Lands
  • Forestry Corporation of NSW
  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • private landholders.
Osage orange control in the Macintyre River riparian area

Northern Tablelands

LLS is supporting public agencies and private landholders to deliver a targeted weed management program to manage Osage orange along 20 kilometres of the Macintyre River, protecting valuable riparian zones and agricultural land.

Partners: 

  • Inverell Shire Council
  • GWYMAC Landcare
  • private landholders.
Protecting the Ramsar values of Caryapundy Swamp

Western

LLS in collaboration with public agencies and private landholders will support the delivery of a multifaceted pest and weed management program aimed at preserving the biological diversity of the Ramsar listed Caryapundy Swamp.  

Partners:

  • Natural Heritage Trust
  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Reducing feral pig impacts along the Mid North Coast

North Coast and Hunter

LLS is supporting public agencies and private landholders to deliver a feral pig management project across multiple state forests and neighbouring private land on the Mid North Coast. 

Partners: 

  • Forestry Corporation of NSW
  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • private landholders. 
Reducing impacts on the Robertson Rainforest

South East

LLS is supporting public agencies and private landholders to deliver a comprehensive pest and weed management project. This project aims to reduce the impact of feral deer and invasive weeds in the South East Region. This project provides practical support and training to landholders to meet their biosecurity obligations.

Partners:

  • Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (Saving Our Species)
  • Wingecarribee Shire Council
  • Robertson Environment Protection Society
  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Reducing the impact of harrisia cactus on agricultural land in Warren Shire

Central West

LLS, Castlereagh Macquarie County Council and private landholders, will coordinate efforts to control the spread and impacts of harrisia cactus in Central Western NSW.

Partners:

  • Castlereagh Macquarie County Council
  • private landholders.
Reducing the impact of pests and weeds in the Hunter Estuary Wetlands Ramsar area

Hunter

LLS is supporting public agencies and private landholders to deliver a cross-tenure pest and weed management project. This program aims to create a buffer to protect sensitive ecological areas within the Hunter Wetlands National Park.

Partners:

  • NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
  • Port Stephens City Council
  • City of Newcastle Council
  • private landholders. 

Building capabilities

The Good Neighbours Program will be delivering biosecurity workshops and events across NSW. 

Visit the LLS events page to search for upcoming events.

Register now

Local Land Services staff member talks to a gathering of landholders.

Funding and partnerships

The NSW Government has committed $10 million to delivering the Good Neighbours Program. This Local Land Services program aligns with NSW biosecurity goals and will help fund and support collaborative and coordinated management activities, targeting best practice pest and weed management issues at boundaries between public and private land. 

Related information

For further information about the Good Neighbours Program, email goodneighbours@lls.nsw.gov.au or call 1300 795 299.

Contact Local Land Services NSW

Our team welcome your enquiries, feedback and comments. 

Contact our team

Find your nearest LLS office

Local Land Services is moving to nsw.gov.au. During the change, you might find the information you are looking for at lls.nsw.gov.au

Phone:1300 795 299
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