Invasive plants are one of the most significant environmental problems of the twenty first century, and are projected to become even more problematic under climate change scenarios. In recent years a more strategic approach to weed management has been developed across Australia, to better coordinate scales of action and the responsibilities of different levels of government. We illustrate the scale and processes of weed governance using the case of Gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus), now widely established in the savanna ecosystems of northern Australia. Gamba is one of the most ‘governed’ plants in Australia, yet it resists control in various ways, including by threatening to drastically shift fire ecologies in the region.

From this example, we ask what governance might mean in a context of great uncertainty, change and lack of control, as many projections of the Anthropocene suggest? How should we discuss governing the ungovernable?