Nelson City Council

(Anredera cordifolia)

Total Control Pest

Madeira Vine is a perennial climber arising from a fleshy rhizome. The plant may grow up to 7 metres in height. The plant has bright green, fleshy leaves and longracemes of cream flowers from January to April. Madeira Vine reproduces through the shedding and spread of stem tubers. The dumping of garden refuse containing Madeira Vine tubers has the potential to spread it well beyond the parent tree.

Reasons for the Strategy

Madeira Vine displaces native species in riparian and forest margins, especially in coastal areas. Once established, the plant is very difficult to control and becomes invasive. The plant forms dense colonies that out-compete with, or exclude, other plant species. Madeira Vine affects the regeneration of indigenous plants. It also has the ability to topple and kill small trees due to the weight of its growth.

Madeira Vine is assessed at “2” on the infestation curve. There are a number of known sites in the Tasman-Nelson region but the results to date, with intensive control and ongoing surveillance, have encouraged its promotion to Total Control. The low incidence of Madeira Vine in the Tasman- Nelson region, extensive areas of suitable habitat, and the potential for it to cause significant adverse effects, mean the benefits of total control far outweigh the costs.

Objective

To contribute to the eradication of Madeira Vine by ensuring that all known sites in the Tasman-Nelson region are inspected annually and all live plants are destroyed during the term of the Strategy.

Alternative Measures

The alternative option of “do nothing” or relying on voluntary control will not achieve the objective of eradication of Madeira Vine, and will result in significant additional costs to the community with respect to lost natural values and the increased cost of control in the future.

Strategy Rule for Madeira Vine

The occupier shall destroy all adult and juvenile forms of Madeira Vine on land that they occupy. A breach of Strategy Rule 4.9.5 is an offence under Section 154(r) of the Biosecurity Act 1993.

Biosecurity Act Requirement

No person shall knowingly sell, propagate, breed, release, or commercially display Madeira Vine, under Sections 52 and 53 of the Act.