Invasive species
An invasive species is a species occurring, as a result of human activities, beyond its accepted normal distribution and which threatens valued environmental, agricultural or other social resources by the damage it causes.
Invasive species have a major impact on Australia's environment, threatening our unique biodiversity and reducing overall species abundance and diversity.
Invasive species include:
- diseases, fungi and parasites
- feral animals
- insects and other invertebrates
- introduced marine pests
- weeds
What's new
- Request for expression of interest: Identification of sites of high conservation priority impacted on by feral cats - Due 30 January 2009
- Approved threat abatement plans
- Review of the impacts of gambusia, redfin perch, tench, roach, yellowfin goby and streaked goby in Australia
- An overview of the impacts of translocated native fish species in Australia
- Enhancing the efficacy of phosphite with the addition/supplementation of other chemicals such as those known to be involved in resistance
- Does the physiological status of the plant at the time of spraying affect the efficacy of phosphite?
- Eradication of Phytophthora cinnamomi from spot infections in native plant communities in Western Australia and Tasmania
What is environmental biosecurity?
Environmental biosecurity is the protection of the environment and social amenity from the negative effects associated with invasive species; including weeds, pests and diseases. It occurs across the entire biosecurity continuum: pre-border preparedness, border protection and post-border management and control.
Australian Government funding
The Australian Government funds a range of activities to reduce the threat of invasive species:
Legislation
The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts administers the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Under the EPBC Act, the Commonwealth can, among other things:
- list Key Threatening Processes. These processes threaten the survival, abundance or evolutionary development of a native species or ecological community. Examples of invasive species listed as key threatening processes are rabbits, foxes, cats, pigs, unmanaged goats, rodents on islands, red imported fire ants, Phytophthora cinnamomi, chytrid fungus and Psittacine beak and feather disease; and
- develop and implement Threat Abatement Plans (TAPs). These plans outline the research, management and other actions necessary to reduce the impacts of a listed key threatening process on affected listed threatened species and ecological communities.
- Recovery plans
Future initiatives
AusBIOSEC (Australian Biosecurity System for Primary Production and the Environment) is a framework of common principles and guidelines to enable biosecurity arrangements to be applied consistently across Australia. More about AusBIOSEC
More information
Community Information Unit
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601
Phone: 1800 803 772
Email: ciu@environment.gov.au
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