Indicator: BD-03 Summary of measures being implemented to respond to threats to biodiversity from invasive species

Data

In 2000, plant species that were identified as being in the early stages of establishment and with potential to become a significant threat to biodiversity if their effects are not managed were placed on the National Environmental Alert List. The list is made up of 28 non-native weeds that have established naturalised populations in the wild.

The States and Territories each identify a range of plant species as “noxious weeds”. These are total figures and do not disaggregate agricultural or urban weeds from plants that have the potential to be environmentally invasive.

Number of weeds on noxious weed list for States and Territories
Vic	NSW	SA	WA	Tas	Qld	NT	ACT
114	152	125	344	104	105	81	36

Source: Australian Weeds Committee 2006, Noxious Weeds List - Weeds Australia Database, viewed 7 Jul 2006, http://www.weeds.org.au/noxious.htm.

Legislative status of invasive plants by listing
	Alert List	Eradication from Natural Ecosystems Target List	Eradication from Agricultural Ecosystems Target List	Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy Target Plant List	Weeds of National Significance (WONS)
Number of listed invasive plants	28	34	26	41	20
Number and % under no State/Territory legal control	15 (54%)	21 (62%)	7 (27%)	29 (71%)	0 (0%)
Prohibited for Sale in State/Territory*	18.3 %	9.9 %	25.5 %	6.7 %	58.1 %
Prohibited for Import into State/Territory	20.5 %	12.5 %	30.3 %	9.8 %	53.1 %
Subject to Eradication in State/Territory*	15.2 %	7.7 %	19.7 %	5.5 %	31.9 %
Subject to Control in State/Territory	4.9 %	2.9 %	8.7 %	0.9 %	32.5 %

Note: * Average across all States and Territories

Source: Glanznig, A. and Kessal, O 2004, Invasive plants of national importance and their legal status by state and territory, WWF Australia, Sydney, viewed 7 Jul 2006, http://www.wwf.org.au/publications/invasive_plants/.

Legislative status of invasive plants by State and Territory
	Prohibited for Sale in State/Territory*	Prohibited for Import into State/Territory*	Subject to Eradication in State/Territory*	Subject to Control in State/Territory*
NSW	26.3%	22.3%	27.3%	7.8%
Qld	41.4%	41.4%	29.7%	9.8%
SA	33.0%	19.6%	17.6%	8.1%
Tas	24.5%	24.5%	1.5%	23.1%
Vic	20.6%	20.6%	19.6%	4.0%
WA	26.1%	55.7%	15.5%	1.5%
ACT	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	18.1%
NT	16.3%	16.3%	8.0%	6.0%
Total	23.5%	25.1%	14.9%	9.8%

Note: * Average across all classes of invasive plants of national importance

Invasive species national projects
	No. of projects	Approved funding ($)
2004-2005 Threat abatement projects	21	5 364 706
2003-2004 Threat abatement projects	14	1 986 947
2002-2003 Threat abatement projects	14	1 496 651
2004-2005 Weed projects	25	1 785 227
2003-2004 Weed projects	11	1 157 530
2002-2003 Weed projects	14	1 701 106

Source: Department of the Environment and Heritage 2006, Invasive species national projects, viewed 12 Jul 2006, http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/projects/index.html.

Total NHT2 Investment by funding stream and weed type, 2002/03 to 2004/05
Funding Stream	National $	Regional $	Local $	Total $
WONS	10 338 057	6 937 495	5 877 936	23 153 488
General Weeds	6 730 320	24 293 726	15 886 615	46 910 661
Priority actions	0	8 915 545	0	8 915 545
TOTAL NHT2	17 068 377	40 146 766	21 764 551	78 979 694

Source: Bellamy, J, Metcalfe, D, Weston, N and Dawson, S 2005, Evaluation of invasive species (weeds) outcomes of regional investment, DEH, & DAFF, Canberra, viewed 30 May 2006, http://www.nrm.gov.au/monitoring/national-evaluations/weeds.html.

Year By Year Summary of Total NHT2 Investments, weeds
	2002/2003 $	2003/2004 $	2004/2005* $	NHT2 Total $
WoNs:	7 560 783	7 462 449	8 130 256	23 153 488
General weeds	15 788 660	16 283 372	14 838 629	46 910 661
Priority actions	3 746 796	3 672 357	1 496 392	8 915 545
TOTAL NHT2 (WONS + General+Priority actions)	27 096 239	27 418 178	24 465 277	78 979 694

* to March 2005 only

Measures being taken in Tasmania on weeds

Strategic planning

State weed strategy weedplan and 3 developing regional weed management strategies will identify priority weeds and put in place measures to reduce impact
6 draft plans for Weeds of National Significance that occur in Tasmania
State management strategy for significant beach weeds such as marram grass and sea spurge

Declared Weeds

Currently 73 declared weeds, each having a statutory management plan.
5 authorised weed inspectors and 30 additional weed inspectors operating within local government

Preventing the establishment of new weeds

Weed alert network that reports new weeds and assists in surveying of newly detected weeds
Working with industry bodies, such as the Tasmanian Agricultural Productivity Group and Agricultural Contractors of Tasmania, to minimise weed seed introduction and spread

Control

Highest priority is the prevention of new weed problems from establishing
Working on eradicating 10 relatively new weeds
6 of these are close to eradication, potentially saving millions of dollars in lost production, control costs and impact on biodiversity

Source: Department of Primary Industry, Water and Environment (Unpublished Data) 2005, Unpublished, Contact: Lvl 5 Marine Board Building, 1 Franklin Wharf Hobart Brooke.Craven@dpiwe.tas.gov.au Phone 03 6233 2263 Fax 03 6236 9744 Brooke.Craven@dpiwe.tas.gov.au.

Australian Capital Territory

Expenditure on weed management by ACT and federal government agencies
	2000-2001	2001-2002	2002-2003
Willows	$0.42 million	$0.47 million
Woody weeds	$0.42 million	$0.37 million
Serrated tussock			$0.17 million
Other incl pines			$0.19 million
	$1.59 million	1.82 million	$0.93 million*

* drought conditions reduced the ability to carry out herbicide-based weed control

Source: ACT Commissioner for the Environment 2003, ACT SoE report, ACT Government, Canberra, viewed 10 Apr 2006, http://www.environment.act.gov.au/yourenvironmenthwp/pests/vertpestmgt.

Summary of key vertebrate pests and management practices (terrestrial)
Species	Current Management Practices
European Rabbit	Targeted harbour and warren destruction where conservation or productivity benefits can be achieved Regular monitoring in reserves Longstanding grazing impact trials at Tidbinbilla
European Red Fox	Baiting and monitoring programs in southern parks and reserves to preserve benefits from intensive control programs that have reduced numbers Baiting programs on rural leases
Feral Goat	Aerial shooting has effectively reduced populations to acceptable levels Continuing monitoring of mob locations and size. Radio collaring of Judasgoats helps locate mobs Ground-based shooting where practicable Trial trapping
Feral Pig	Annual control program in southern parks and reserves to keep pig impact to acceptable levels Experimental reduced level of control to test for optimum benefit cost level Established impact indicators in Namadgi National Park Participation and support for UCAN research program
Feral Horse	No control required following local eradication-need to keep under review Participation in Alps Liaison development of management strategy Surveillance of potential entrance points Monitoring of condition of sensitive communities
Dingo/Wild Dog	Control program in place for buffer zone at the boundary between sheep growing areas and bushland of Namadgi National Park and Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. Monitoring program in place, Namadgi National Park Joint control arrangements in place with NSW for cross-border issues Research program in collaboration with NSW agencies regarding dog movement patterns, control techniques and genetic integrity of dingo population
Feral Cat	Targeted, intensive programs for sites of significance e.g. bird breeding enclosures at Tidibinbilla Nature Reserve Continuing control and fence maintenance in sites of significance
Brown Hare	Fencing, tree guards, chemical deterrents or shooting in response to damage
Sambar Deer Fallow Deer	General monitoring of occurrences
Common Myna	Support for research into possible control methods
Common Starling	Protective measures undertaken on an individual basis by producers
Non-local aviary escapees	Maintenance of licensing system to reduce threats of escape of problem species
Various native species e.g. Grey Kangaroo, White Cockatoo, Wombat, Pied Currawong	Procedure for kangaroo culling on rural properties in place Response to other issues on a case by case basis ‘Living with nature' ethos promoted

Source: Environment ACT 2002, ACT Vertebrate Pest Management Strategy, Publishing Services for Environment ACT, Canberra, viewed N/A, http://www.environment.act.gov.au/yourenvironmenthwp/pests/vertpestmgt.

Case study South Australia - Bounceback

Since the mid-1800s, grazing and weeds have combined to damage the semi-arid environment of the Flinders region in South Australia. As early as 1900, many small to medium sized mammals and some reptiles had all but disappeared from the area. Even when stock was removed from the region's national parks, threatened species continued to decline because there was little regeneration of native plant communities or improvement in soil conditions and animal habitats.

In response, the Flinders Ranges Bounceback Program has removed foxes and feral goats, destroyed rabbit warrens and regenerated native plants in national parks. In areas surrounding the parks, the focus is on control of wheel cactus and feral goats and rabbits, removal of foxes and protection of endangered species.

Within the national parks, there has been a major reduction in the number of feral goats and rabbits, an increase in the number of yellow-footed rock wallabies, a trial reintroduction of the brush-tailed bettong to the Flinders Ranges National Park, and land reclamation using saltbush.

Source: Department of the Environment and Heritage 2004, Managing invasive species in Australia - success stories. Bounceback, viewed 7 Apr 2005, http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/publications/bounceback-success.html.

Case study Macquarie Island - cats

Cats were first brought to the island by sealers in 1820. At one time cats were killing up to 60 000 seabirds a year. An intensive trapping program was instigated to eradicate cats from the island because they were perceived to be a threat to the millions of seabirds that come to breed on Macquarie Island each year. Between 1974 and 2000, a total of 2450 cats were caught.

Cats were located and captured by spotlighting and trapping, and were then humanely killed. Towards the end of the program, specially trained dogs were used to make sure that no cats were missed. No cats have been seen on Macquarie Island since June 2000. Recently, the threatened grey petrel has returned and bred there for the first time in over 100 years, and it is possible the absence of cats may have encouraged its return. However, more recently, concerns have been raised that, in the absence of cats which were their primary predator, rabbits are now becoming a problem on Macquarie Island by consuming vegetation needed for seabird nesting sites.

Source: Department of the Environment and Heritage 2004, Managing invasive species in Australia - success stories. Removing cats from Macquarie Island, viewed 7 Apr 2005, http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/publications/cats-success.html.

Source: Canberra Times 2006, Rabbits devastate Macquarie Island, 21 Oct 2006, p18.

Quarantine

Both the Quarantine Act and the EPBC Act require that live specimens be assessed for their potential impacts. Where there may be a biosecurity risk in importing animals, plants and their products, assessments are made to evaluate the risk and determine appropriate measures to be taken. Biosecurity Australia provides science based quarantine assessments.

Quarantine controls at Australia’s borders help minimise the risk of exotic pests and diseases. These pests and diseases can be carried by people, by animals, in animal products such as meat, in plants or in plant products such as timber, or in soil on machinery. The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service provides quarantine inspection for international passengers, cargo, mail, animals, plants and animal or plant products arriving in Australia. Quarantine officers use a range of techniques including risk assessment, detector dogs and X-ray machines.

AQIS has:

64 X-ray machines - 43 deployed at Australia’s international airports, 11 at international mail centres (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth), four at air cargo depots and six mobile X-ray units for use at seaports and to support fixed units
75 detector dog teams - 46 dog teams at airports and 29 dog teams at international mail and air courier depots

Quarantine in northern Australia is important because of our proximity to Southeast Asia and the Pacific, which have many pests and diseases not present in Australia. The Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy early warning system includes a network of ‘sentinel’ cattle herds, pigs and insect traps at key sites. Sentinel animals are regularly tested for early warning of diseases and traps are checked for insects.

What the data mean

Australian jurisdictions have their own legislation intended to limit the introduction and spread of potentially invasive species. Funding of national threat abatement plans increased between 2002-2003 and 2004-2005. Despite many decades of intensive effort, no widespread introduced animal species has ever been eradicated from mainland Australia. In the foreseeable future, these species are here to stay. Furthermore, there has been little research into the ecological impacts of eradicating naturalised species, even if it were practical to do so (see Indicator LD_40 Current research into pressures and contributions of naturalised introduced species ).

Measures to manage invasive species continue to focus on managing the species themselves rather than on the interactions of these species with other aspects of the environment. The eradication of the naturalised cat population on Macquarie Island removed a perceived predator on the native fauna but also effectively removed the primary predator of the naturalised populations of rats, mice and rabbits that are also established on the island. The program is indicative of the risks involved in the approach, currently pervasive across jurisdictions, of focusing on individual species rather than on ecological relationships. The same approach is recognisable in current calls to target rabbits and rats on the Island without consideration of the consequences for invasive vegetation.

A further risk is evident in the fact that most jurisdictions do not distinguish agricultural and urban weeds and pests from naturalised plant and animal species that have the potential to become environmentally invasive.

Data Limitations

The effectiveness of funded projects is unknown at this stage, and will always be difficult to assess. In the absence of data on whether a species is proving to be invasive, or how invasive it is proving to be, monitoring of the effects of control programs, on the rare occasions when such monitoring occurs, can at best show the impacts of the program on the target species, rather than the impact of the program on the aspects of the environment the program is intended to protect.

Issues for which this is an indicator and why

Biodiversity - Species, habitats and ecological communities - Government action on species and ecological communities

Although there are little data to show the extent to which species invasiveness is impacting on the Australian environment, invasive species are perceived to be a significant threat to some native species. Monitoring government action to address the perceived threat is important if the effectiveness of the action in reducing the threat is to be assessed.

Other indicators for this issue:

Inland Waters - Human response - policy and management - Management of aquatic biota and biodiversity

Management of riparian and aquatic species includes management of introduced species such as mimosa, willows and carp.

Other indicators for this issue:

Further Information

Agricultural Pests and Feral Animals
National Evaluations of the Natural Heritage Trust and the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality
Invasive Species National Projects
Review of existing Red Fox, Wild Dog, Feral Cat, Feral Rabbit, Feral Pig, and Feral Goat control in Australia. I. Audit
Review of existing Red Fox, Feral Cat, Feral Rabbit, Feral Pig and Feral Goat control in Australia. II. Information Gaps
Review of Progress on Invasive Species
Turning back the tide - the invasive species challenge
The Costs and Benefits of a Proposed Mandatory Invasive Species Labelling Scheme

Further information on Macquarie Island:

Macquarie Island Marine Park

Key

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State of the Environment

2006