Although Gamba grass is no longer recommended by the NT government, at present Gamba is not declared a weed and it is still able to be grown for pasture and hay. It is mostly grown for pastoral production in the Batchelor to Katherine regions However, since its introduction as a pasture grass, Gamba grass has spread to a variety of non-pastoral lands, including mining, aboriginal and conservation land (e.g Kakadu and Litchfield National Park), as well as rural blocks. It often spreads along road corridors and from there into bushland and vacant blocks.

Gamba grass is suited to all areas of upland soils with an annual rainfall above 600 mm experiencing a 3-6 month dry season. This equates to most areas in the NT north of Daly Waters

Gamba grass is now estimated to cover an area of roughly 15, 000 km2. The worst infestations are in the Coomalie and Mary River regions, and it is increasing in rural Darwin. Pockets of infestations are also found from Elizabeth Downs, across to Arnhem Land and Gove, and down to Katherine and the Douglas-Daly Region. It has been suggested by scientists that at the current rate of spread, Gamba could cover most of the Top End within eighty years.

There is increasing community concern over the serious threat that it poses to the ‘Top End’ environment. This concern lead to a successful community forum on Gamba grass control in April 2005, attended by over 60 people including community members, weed managers, weed scientists and NT Government departmental officers. The Gamba grass action group was formed shortly after this forum.