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Superphosphate application to pastures began in earnest in Australia after the country gained access to 42% of the production of the highgrade phosphate of Nauru Island when the mandate was transferred from Germany to the British Empire by the League of Nations.

Under the motto of ‘find the right species, amend soil nutrient deficiencies and evaluate the resultant pasture in terms of animal production’, pasture ‘improvement’ in Australia was soon based on these subsidised and finite supplies of superphosphate from the distant, colonised territory of Nauru.

Establishment of the Commonwealth Plant Introduction program. The program was based on the plant introduction program of the United States Department of Agriculture:

‘Advantage should be taken of the fruits of exploration by other countries, especially the Plant Introduction Service of Washington, concentrating first on promising types of pastoral and fodder plants. The British Empire has not shown the same keenness for organized plant exploration and plant introduction work as the United States, which has combed the world for promising strains of plants of species economic value for its own special requirements ... It should be possible to organise a service to discover species of grasses and herbage plants of economic value to the grasslands of the Empire, and even to the grasslands of Britain.’

Of the world’s approximately 10 000 grass species (family Poaceae), the CPI list indicates that by the end of the 20th century, government agencies had introduced to Australia more than 22%, which represents about twice the indigenous flora in this family.

‘The empty north is of immense strategic importance, and self-preservation demands that we devise means for introducing population into that vacant area. Such a policy, also, is vital to the maintenance of the great and basic principle of a White Australia ...’ - SM Bruce, ‘Parliamentary debates, House of Representatives, Australia’, February 10, 1926

Frank Ratcliffe commenced soil erosion surveys in South Australia. He understood the root causes of soil erosion in pastoral areas and the need for better management of grazing pressure. Nevertheless, he found that there was a widespread belief that it would be a ‘comparatively easy matter to introduce from arid regions overseas a plant or plants which would thrive in and spread over the denuded and drifting areas’.

Ratcliffe’s work led, in part, to the founding of soil conservation authorities in New South Wales and Victoria in 1938 and 1940, respectively. Soil-conservation concern then expanded beyond the arid lands, with a major focus on engineering solutions and the use of exotic species.

‘The idea ... that the botanist by means of ... introductions can repair the devastation caused by incorrect stocking is patently absurd. One might as well expect a man to repair a bursting boiler while the pressure inside it is maintained’ - Frank Ratcliffe, Soil drift in the Arid Pastoral Areas of South Australia, 1936.

‘It is very probable that some grass exists somewhere in the world, which, once established, would grow in amongst the Spinifex of the central desert. These experiments should be put in hand immediately, so that their results will be available at the beginning of the post war period ... The President [of the Northern Territory Development League, EJ Connellan] has interested the League in the possibility of establishing leguminous trees in the Northern Territory, not only in good pastoral areas, but throughout the Spinifex and scrub desert country, which would thus become all productive’ - EJ Connellan, ‘Population potential of the Northern Territory’, 1944

Murray Downs, White Gums and Elkedra stations plant buffel grass at scale.

‘Closer settlement of the Northern Territory, the turning of thousands of miles of now almost useless country into beef production pastures, the creation of well watered agricultural areas in the inland. These things have long been the dreams of many Territorians… Now, however, a man has come forward who says “there can be closer settlement and a huge increase in the productive capacity of the N.T. in the near future”. This man has been conducting a series of experiments on his property which he believes offer the practical solution to the pastoral and agricultural development problems. He is Mr Burge Brown of Murray Downs station, and his experiments have the support of the Administrator, the Minister for Territories, CSIRO, and many other people in a position to forward the interests of the Territory’ - Centralian Advocate, August 1952.

J. G. Davies (Chief CSIRO Division of Tropical Pastures 1959–1969) described his vision for ‘A New Australia’, entailing the complete replacement of native vegetation by improved pasture across all of the wetter third of Australia that was not unusable or devoted to production forestry or cropping.

The CSIRO began collaborating with the Northern Territory administration in the investigation of range seeding in central Australia, with the aim of ‘improving’ the vast areas of Spinifex plains: ‘For reseeding native pastures [in the arid zone] it is necessary first to introduce and test many species ...’

‘... if only we could show the same sort of boldness, imagination and faith as was shown by the first men who walked cattle into central Australia from the south, we should be able to alter the whole face of northern and central Australia in a generation’ - P Hasluck, Opening speech, ‘Northern Territory scientific liaison conference’, 1961.

Alice Springs Airport, Alice Springs Commonage (Ilparpa), Alice Springs farm and 31 pastoral stations between Tennant Creek and the South Australia/ Northern Territory border participate in buffel grass trials undertaken by the N.T.A Agriculture Branch and the NSW Soil Conservation Service. This included Tanami Downs (then known as Mongrel Downs) and Mount Allen in the north-west, Epenarra and Argadargada to the north-east, many stations around Alice Springs and at Mount Cavenah and New Crown Station near the South Australian border.

Mechanical sowing of buffel grass occurs at Uluru and Kata Tjuta.

The impacts of buffel grass invasion on the Martu people of the Western and Great Sandy Deserts is documented in The Significance of the Karlamilyi Region to the Martujarra of the Western Desert.

‘The abundance of edible seed species has been dramatically reduced by the invasion of buffel grass (Centhrus ciliaris). This species has replaced stands of important seed species that were associated with riverine vegetation and the tussock grasslands of outwash areas. Women frequently lament the loss of this resource’.

Pitjantjatjara land rights leader Kawaki Punch Thompson and Yankunytjatjara leader and anti-nuclear campaigner Yami Lester dictate testimonies on the impact of buffel grass invasion on Aṉangu life and culture.

‘All our biodiversity is being lost amongst our plants and insects from buffel grass. And the diversity and beauty and intelligence of our own people is also being lost and drowned out by the huge and rapid encroachment of white people who have come and taken over everything we have. Our people cannot get above all these strange white people. And our beautiful flowers and plants and traditional food grasses cannot raise their heads above this large and dominating grass, buffel, which is squeezing them all out of existence’ - Kawaki Punch Thompson, 2012.

‘Buffel grass has taken over our lands, while Anangu culture has gone down. Raise this important issue at the next General Meeting. We need to be able to continue to keep control of our own land and culture. We are at risk of being smothered by outside forces, just as the environment is being smothered by buffel grass’ - Yami Lester, 2012.

One buffel-fuelled fire event in Tjoritja/ West MacDonnell Ranges National Park destroys over a quarter of the large trees in the area.

Indigenous rangers author the Umuwa Statement on buffel grass invasion.

The opening sentence reads:

‘We the First Nations people of the desert did not bring Buffel grass to this land. But it is here and it is killing our country and threatening our communities and culture’.

The statement is signed by ~156 First Nations rangers at the 2022 Indigenous Desert Alliance conference.

Custodians of the Uluru - Kata Tjuta, Katiti-Petermann and Watarrka national parks issue a statement on buffel grass.
The problem of buffel grass is a strong theme that emerges during a 3- day consultation meeting with Anangu and non-indigenous ecologists facilitated by Parks Australia in August 2022 to discuss potential reintroductions of endangered mammals into Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (UKTNP). Discussion of buffel grass was not an intended focus of the meeting but considering the strong shared concerns expressed by Anangu throughout it was agreed a statement representing those concerns would be made separate from and after the meeting for the purpose of being shared with people who may have influence and be able to help Anangu in dealing with this problem.
[S]ince the time of living in the healthy abundant country, more recently - before the establishment of communities and in the time of the missionaries - the children witnessed country that was in its glory, before the arrival of buffel grass. There were all different kind of wildflowers, a multitude of wonderful species. Our people lived very contentedly when it was like that. But now we are contending with an issue which brings us great sorrow - the invasion of buffel grass. It’s choking up the land and preventing free movement, blocking the natural processes of the country.