The Pilbara Mesquite Management Committee (PMMC) is a not-for-profit group which combines the knowledge and skills of government, industry, research, pastoral and community sectors to tackle one of the greatest natural resource management enemies in the Pilbara – declared weeds.

Our Committee Structure:
Our group is comprised of an Executive Committee and supported by a general membership open to the public. Meetings of the PMMC are held quarterly, usually in Karratha and on a partnering pastoral station.

Meetings are open to all stakeholders who share an interest in the management of mesquite (and other Weeds of National Significance) in the Pilbara. To join our Committee, please fill in the membership form on the resources page.

Our Staff:
The staff of the PMMC is currently limited to one full time, locally based (Karratha) Project Manager. Responsible for the overall management of projects which we undertake, this position is currently supported by funding applications requested annually.

Our History:
The PMMC formed as a result of two pastoralists, a research scientist and a Biosecurity Officer sitting around a camp fire discussing how to tackle the single largest infestation of hybrid Mesquite in Australia.

No species-specific research to substantiate the best treatment methods of hybrid mesquite was available, just anecdotal stories collected over the years. This coincided with the release of the most promising biological control agents for mesquite in 1999. With this in mind, an integrated control research project was developed by the key stakeholders. Funding from the Natural Heritage Trust was sourced, and a project officer employed to answer the questions raised by land managers.

With five years of research under our belts, a shift in focus on a national level away from R & D and the creation of the 56 regional Natural Resource Management Groups, the PMMC embarked on a new era in 2007. With the support of the Rangelands NRM Coordinating Group and local pastoralists, the PMMC commenced its first broad scale control program of mesquite across the Pilbara. This is still continuing today in a partnership arrangement with land managers, tenement holders and the government.

In 2009, the PMMC decided to broaden the scope of our projects, and took a leading role in the regional coordination and management of Parkinsonia, also a Weed of National Significance. Working with additional land managers and applying for multiple funding programs has allowed for a Pilbara wide focus on weed management, new stakeholder engagement and better outcomes for all project sponsors.

Of increasing importance to the PMMC is facilitating the development of fully resourced and documented long-term weed management programs. We are leveraging investment from large resource projects in the Pilbara to assist in managing weeds across multiple tenure and adjoining lands. This investment is currently in the order of $1 million per year.

With 25 years of weed management, 2025 brings new opportunities and new challenges. PMMC’s past work in Landscape Scale projects is leading the way in declared weed management across the Pilbara and the PMMC is embracing innovation and collaboration to continue to deliver sound weed management of declared weed control.