That's the question those fighting the spread of unwanted plants in the region would love to know the answer to.

Unfortunately, despite the problem having the potential to drastically alter our natural environment, despite many of these weeds staring us in the face every day, it's an issue that remains low on the priority list for a lot of people.

Or worse, not even on their radar.

"The situation is dire," MidCoast Council strategic weeds biosecurity officer, Terry Inkson, said.

"We're on the brink of being overrun by introduced species."

To put his words in perspective, take The Lakes Way, Old Bar Road, or any other major thoroughfare in the area for example.

Those roadside trees that have blossomed bright yellow flowers everywhere?

Winter senna, an escaped garden plant now considered an environmental weed that competes with native species for light, space and nutrients.

Around it you'll likely find wild tobacco trees, lantana, farmer's friend and any number of other environmental weeds that do exactly the same thing.

And that's only the tip of the iceberg.

With a sub-tropical climate that's highly conducive to the growth of introduced species and many weeds already beyond the point of eradication, land managers, bush regeneration contractors, Landcare volunteers and other concerned individuals have to choose carefully where to concentrate their efforts.

"We haven't got the resources to treat everything," Mr Inkson said.

"We have to pick those species that are the greatest risk to our high value ecosystems."

The risks, although not immediately obvious, are immense and have the potential to effect many aspects of what makes the MidCoast beautiful.

Chief among them is the proliferation of monocultures, which can in turn reduce the habitats of native animals and thus deplete the biodiversity of the environment.

Right now, council and other relevant stakeholders are fighting those risks on a number of fronts.

There is the 200 kilometres of coastline under threat from bitou bush, the myriad garden escapees imposing on high value ecological areas, and the 80 kilometre stretch of the Manning River being impacted upon by Senegal tea grass - a weed that not only threatens the health of the river, but also the habitat of the endangered Manning River turtle.

But there are also inroads being made.

According to Mr Inkson, the decades-long battle against bitou bush on the coast has resulted in a 90 per cent reduction in mature plants in areas under management.

On agricultural properties farmers are joining with Local Land Services to control the spread of tropical soda apple, which can have damaging effects on pastures and livestock.

And the average person can make a difference too.

For Local Lands Services regional weeds co-ordinator, Ian Turnbull, this can be as simple as understanding what's in your garden and controlling it and disposing of it correctly.

"The community's value of biodiversity has grown," he said.

"If people are working together to address a common problem then that's better than people working individually."

Mr Inkson believes through education and community engagement people's perceptions are slowly changing and will continue to do so.

He urged anyone interested in preserving the rich biodiversity of the local area to come along to one of council's information nights on the issue and to download valuable resources such as the NSW WeedWise app and the Garden Escapees interactive booklet.

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