Restoring Wetland Health with CLIPPER

In Autumn 2026, the Syngenta Vegetation Management team visited Pelican Waters Resort, located in the heart of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. The visit provided an opportunity to see first-hand how the resort is protecting the health and amenity of its extensive freshwater wetland system while maintaining the high standards expected of a premium destination.

At the resort, Head Greenkeeper Troy Muir, guided the team through the immaculate grounds and the interconnected network of freshwater wetlands that frame the property.

The Site

At the centre of Pelican Waters Resort is a championship-calibre 18-hole golf course, bordered by private residences with views across the course and surrounding wetlands. These waterways are not only a defining feature of the landscape – they are also a sensitive environmental asset requiring careful, ongoing management.

The resort sits at the lower end of waterways flowing from Ewen Maddock Dam. As a result, the wetland system is influenced by upstream conditions and seasonal flows.

The Challenge: Recurring Cabomba Infestations

Within this broader waterway system are several introduced aquatic weeds, including the highly problematic Cabomba caroliniana. Originally an escaped aquarium plant, Cabomba is an aggressive invader of warm freshwater wetlands. It forms dense submerged foliage that:

• Outcompetes native aquatic plants
• Blocks sunlight within the waterbody
• Reduces habitat quality and waterway function

Cabomba spreads rapidly through plant fragments. It also reproduces above the waterline when it flowers and sets seed during warmer months – typically around September.

Compounding the issue, Pelican Waters’ low-lying wetlands can flood seasonally, meaning weeds regularly re-enter the resort’s waterways from untreated areas outside the property. For Troy and his team, this has made Cabomba management a persistent, long-term challenge rather than a one-off event.

Management History

Over the past 10 years, Troy and his team trialled a range of approaches to manage recurring Cabomba outbreaks, including:

• Mechanical removal
• Herbicide applications

Despite these efforts, reinfestation pressure from connected waterways remained a constant factor – requiring solutions that were both effective and practical to deploy across different parts of the wetland network.

The Solution: CLIPPER® Herbicide

Troy’s team began trialling CLIPPER®, the unique aquatic herbicide, when it first entered the market in 2011.

CLIPPER® is a fast-acting contact herbicide designed to control selected floating, emergent and submerged aquatic weeds and algae. It is effective on many of Australia’s most widespread and challenging aquatic weed species.

A key point of difference is its effervescent tablet formulation, packaged in a water-soluble film. This format supports accurate dosing and offers flexibility across aquatic weed growth habits – whether weeds are fully submerged, partially emergent, or present at the surface.

Application Flexibility in Real-World Wetlands

Because aquatic weeds can occupy different zones in a waterbody, Troy’s team valued the ability to apply CLIPPER® in multiple ways, including:

• Direct placement into the waterbody to dissolve and disperse
• Pre-dissolving for foliar spray application
• Direct injection into the water column

By matching the application method to the site conditions and weed growth stage, the team found they could achieve stronger, more consistent control outcomes.

Results and Outcomes

By utilising these application options, Troy and his team reported that the flexibility and performance of CLIPPER® were superior to other available alternatives they had previously trialled. Importantly, they also observed improvements in wetland habitat outcomes without impacting other important species within the resort’s waterways.

Pelican Waters Resort demonstrates how aquatic weed management in connected wetland systems requires:

• A practical solution for recurring reinfestation pressure
• Flexibility to treat weeds across submerged and emergent growth forms
• A program that supports both amenity and environmental values

For Troy and his team, CLIPPER® has become a valuable tool in maintaining the health, function and visual appeal of the resort’s waterways.

By Greg Nash, Territory Sales Manager for Syngenta Vegetation Management.