Editing Belair National Park (section)

===Weed invasion===
[[File:Hypericum perforatum field belair park.jpg|left|thumb|Invasive weed ''[[Hypericum perforatum]]'' in the Park]]
The first [[Europe]]an people traversed the Belair area in 1837. In 1840, [[Governor of South Australia|Governor]] [[George Gawler|Gawler]] raised a government farm on which sick horses and bullocks from government departments could be agisted. In 1881, a proposal was put forward for small agricultural holdings and also, the national park was dedicated, making it the first National Park in South Australia. Many exotic and non-indigenous plants were introduced and are now found in the park as weeds. Numerous native plants, such as [[Cootamundra wattle]], have become environmental weeds after being introduced into areas outside their natural range.

The Belair National Park has suffered major disturbance to its natural ecosystems and natural vegetation communities through the accidental invasion of non-indigenous plants as well as the deliberate introduction of exotic and non-indigenous plants to certain zones within the park. In spite of these problems, several remnant stands of rare native plant species endemic to the Mt Lofty Ranges can be found there in season, mostly along tracks in less visited areas of the park's walking trail system. Both Donkey Orchids and Spider Orchids are among several diminutive flowers usually seen late winter each year.

A volunteer organisation named Friends of Belair National Park was formed in 1985, aiming to reduce the effect of invasive weeds within the park. The group meets regularly to manually or chemically remove accessible weeds, and also hosts nature walks and other events to increase community engagement with land management.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-22 |title=What's on - Friends of Belair National Park |url=https://friendsofbelairnationalpark.com/whats-on/ |access-date=2024-06-01 |website=friendsofbelairnationalpark.com |language=en-US}}</ref>