Land Use Policy 26 (2009) 380–392 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Land Use Policy journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/landusepol Emerging amenity landscapes: Invasive weeds and land subdivision in rural Australia Peter Klepeis a,∗ , Nicholas Gill b , Laurie Chisholm b a Department of Geography, Colgate University, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346, United States b School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, GeoQuEST Research Centre, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia article info Article history: Received 6 August 2007 Received in revised form 6 March 2008 Accepted 30 April 2008 Keywords: Amenity migration Exurbanization Hobby farming Invasive species Land-use change Land degradation Rural land use Serrated tussock abstract Throughout history non-native invasive species have created environmental, economic, and social prob- lems. Technological change, trade, and land system change are among the key factors in their spread and intensification. A recent global phenomenon holds the potential to exacerbate the invasive species prob- lem: amenity migration, the subdivision of farm and grazing land, and the introduction of alternative land uses and management regimes by new rural residents. An Australian case study explores the subdivision of fine wool sheep ranches, the arrival of amenity migrants, and the impact on the management of one of the country’s worst weeds, serrated tussock (Nassella trichotoma). Interviews with property owners, government officials, and members of the community-based conservation group, Landcare, expose cul- tural, institutional, and economic barriers to the control of the invasive grass. As the subdivision process leads to smaller properties and higher population densities it holds the potential to improve manage- ment of serrated tussock if the result is fewer livestock and more people to chemically and mechanically control the grass. But roughly 65% of the newcomers are part-time residents and absenteeism tends to result in weak efforts to manage the weed. In addition, regardless of their full-time/part-time status, most of the newcomers are ‘amenity” landholders whose cultural context and ideas about land and nature is diverse, and who do not seek their primary income from the land. Much of rural Australia now contains amenity landscapes, with weakened social capital, and a reduced capacity to coordinate a response to regional-scale environmental problems. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction ‘If you create a park, [the land] will go backwards.’ (Australian Amenity Migrant, Windellama NSW, May 2005). In May 2005, after months of particularly low rainfall in New South Wales, Australia, reservoirs were dangerously low and gra- ziers and farmers were in crisis, clamoring for government aid. As part of the national discourse about the drought, ABC talk show host, Sally Loane, asked her radio listeners if an emergency rural aid program was justified. 1 A caller suggested that it was not, and that instead rural lands should be abandoned to regenerate if they are no longer economically productive. The call elicited a torrent of heated responses. The consensus was that to allow a decline in primary industries was to ‘surrender the bush’ to weeds and feral animals. Ms. Loane agreed, asserting that rural lands need to be ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 315 228 6797; fax: +1 315 228 7726. E-mail address: pklepeis@mail.colgate.edu (P. Klepeis). 1 The broadcast of Sally Loane’s morning program occurred on Australia Broad- casting Corporation (ABC) 702 (Sydney) on Tuesday, 17 May 2005. occupied and actively managed to keep at bay undesirable species, a notion conveyed in the quotation above. The changes affecting natural resource management in rural Australia reflect an important international phenomenon. In poor and rich countries alike a mix of biophysical and social changes are rapidly transforming rural landscapes. In addition to their impact on livelihoods, economic productivity, and culture, new conditions are affecting land use and land cover, biogeochemical cycles, and biodiversity, components highlighted prominently by land change science (GLP, 2005). Less well appreciated, however, is a key focus of Ms. Loane and her listeners: the impact of rural change on the spread and intensification of non-native invasive species. A case from a predominantly fine wool producing area of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, explores the intersection of three key themes in nature-society and rural studies: the subdivision of grazing (ranching) land; the arrival of amenity migrants and associated land-use change; and the impact of these changes on the man- agement of invasive weeds (hereafter referred to in the text as invasives). Exploration of the social and ecological effects of amenity migra- tion – the movement of people to rural and rural/peri-urban areas 0264-8377/$ – see front matter © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2008.04.006