New equipment has been installed at the entrance to a national park to help combat the spread of a plant disease.
Shoe-cleaning stations have been placed in the Glass House Mountains National Park in an effort to stop phytophthora, which can be spread through infected soil, including on contaminated shoes.
Rangers discovered the disease in an area of the park during routine checks this year.
They took samples of affected vegetation to confirm its presence, closed a high-risk area, installed signage and hosted local community education sessions about managing the disease.
Now, they’ve installed the temporary footwear cleaning stations at the main entrance to the Tibrogargan summit walk.
Senior ranger Donna Haslam said they’re stepping up the fight against phytophthora.
“The name phytophthora derives from a Greek word that means ‘plant destroyer’, and as the name suggests, it can be devastating for susceptible plants,” she said.
“That’s why we’re taking the fight against phytophthora seriously and ask any park-goers to do the same.
“We simply can’t risk the impact on native plants that grow here, or the potential impacts on protected wildlife including the common dunnart and yellow-footed antechinus that live and breed in this habitat.”
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Visitors can do their bit by arriving and leaving the park with clean footwear, hiking poles, backpacks, and other gear, and using the new footwear cleaning stations.
For visitors leaving the site and unable to clean their shoes on-site, visitors can place their shoes in a plastic bag for cleaning later and keep a spare pair in the car.
Ms Haslam said it was also vital that park goers avoided going off track, particularly during wet conditions.
“As it takes some time for infected plants to show symptoms of disease, it’s important visitors never assume anywhere is disease-free and always take the appropriate precautions,” she said.
“We all have a role to play in containing phytophthora, and these simple steps will go a long way to prevent the disease from spreading to unaffected areas of the park, or beyond.”
