Australian Pest Animal Strategy

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Australian Pest Animal StrategyAustralian Pest Animal Strategy

A national strategy for the management of vertebrate

pest animals in Australia

Natural Resource Management Ministerial CouncilDeveloped by the Vertebrate Pests Committee


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Australian Pest Animal Strategy A national strategy for the managem ent of

vertebr ate p est animals in Australia

Natural Resource Managemen t Ministerial Council

Commonwealth of Australia 2007

ISBN 978-0-6425536 -9-6

This work is copyright. Apart from an y use as perm itted un der th e Copyright Act

1968, no part may be repro duced by any process without prior written

permission from the Commonwealth Government, available from the

Departm ent of the Environm ent and Water Resources. Requests and en quiries

concerning reprodu ction an d rights should be addressed to:

Director

Invasive Spe cies Section

Department of the Environment and Water Resources

GPO Box 787Canber ra ACT 2601

The Australian Government, Department of the Environment and Water

Resources has collated and ed ited this publication for th e Natural Resource

Management Ministerial Coun cil. While reasonable efforts have been m ade to

ensure th at the con tents of this publication are factually correct, th e Australian

Government and members of the Natural Resource Management Ministerial

Council (or the governmen ts that the council members represent) do n ot

accept respon sibility for the accuracy or comp leteness of the conte nts, and shall

not be liable for any loss or damage t hat m ay be occasioned d irectly or ind irectly

through the use of, or reliance on, the contents of this publication.

Acknowledgements

This strategy was developed by a subcomm ittee of th e Vertebr ate PestsCommittee, comp rising Simon Veitch and Quen tin Har t, Australian

Govern men t Departm ent o f Agriculture, Fisher ies and Forestry: Tony Robinson,

CSIRO; Jonath an Miller, Australian Govern men t Departm ent o f Environme nt

and Water Resources; Barry Kay and Cathy Crawford, NSW Departmen t of

Primar y Industries; Glenn Edwards, Parks and Wildlife Comm ission NT; and Jim

Thompson an d Frank Keenan, Queen sland Department of Natural Resources

and Water.

The Strategys framework an d m uch of its detail were p rovided by a national

workshop held in Brisbane in April 2005, facilitated b y Simon McGuinn ess and

Roger Standen of the RM Consulting Group. The outcomes from this national

workshop were collated by Craig Walton from th e Quee nsland Depar tmen t of

Natural Resources and Water, who then wrote a draft strategy for consultation.

Thirty-one in dividuals and organ isations provided valued comm ent on the d raftstrategy, which helped the subcommittee refine the final document.

Cover images: Red fox. Photo: J. Lochman , Lochman Transparencies; Feral pigs

caught in a tr ap. Photo: P. Fleming, Departme nt of Primar y Indu stries, New

South Wales; Rabbit. Photo: G. Chapm an; A heard of feral goats caught in a

pen . Photo: Q. Hart, Bureau of Rural Sciences.


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Executive Summary i

1.Introduction 1

1.1 The introduction of exotic animals into Australia 1

1.2 Australias pest animal problem 1

1.3 Managing pest animals 2

1.4 Challenges for pest animal management 3

1.5 Why do we need a national pest animal strategy? 3

1.6 Who are the stakeholders in this Strategy? 4

1.7 Scope of the Strategy 6

1.8 How does the Strategy fit within the national framework? 7

1.9 Key principles 7

2.The Strategy in outline 8

Vision 8

Goal 1 Provide leadership and coordination for

the management of pest animals 8

Goal 2 Prevent establishment of new pest animals 9Goal 3 Manage the impacts of established pest animals 9

3. Actions under the Strategy in detail 10

Goal 1 Provide leadership and coordination for

management of pest animals 10

Goal 2 Prevent establishment of new pest animals 13

Goal 3 Manage the impacts of established pest animals 18

4. Glossary 22

5. Bibliography 24

Appendix 1 Other relevant strategies and activities 25

Contents


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Th e vision for th e Australian Pest Animal Strategy is

that:Australias biodiversity, agricultural assets and

social values are secure from the impacts of vertebrate pest

animals.

The focus of the Strategy is to ad dre ss the u nd esirable

impacts caused by exotic vertebrate animals (mammals,

birds, reptiles, amph ibians, and fish) that have becom e

pests in Australia, and to p revent the establishm ent of

new exotic vertebrate pests.

In Australia, pest animals have major economic,environmental and social impacts. Many pest animals

cause significant dam age to cr op s an d seriou sly affect

Australias livestock ind ustries by pr eying on stock and

competing for pasture. Pest animals also cause severe

land d egradation b y pro motin g soil erosion, stream

turb idity and the spre ad of weeds. Competition, h abitat

destruction an d p redation by pest animals threaten the

sur vival of m any of Australias native p lants an d an imals.

Australian private an d pub lic landowners and users

spen d considerable time and m one y addr essing the

impacts of pest animals. For example, it has been

estimated that eleven of Australias major pest animals( wild po pu lations of foxes, pigs, rabb its, mice, goats,

carp, dogs, cane toads, camels, cats and horses) have

ne gative im pacts in Australia valued at over

$720 million per an nu m ( McLeod 2004) .

Th e Australian Pest Animal Strategy is a vital par t of

Australias integrated appr oach to n ational biosecurity

under the Australian Biosecurity System for Primary

Production and the Environment (AusBIOSEC).

It complements existing and new strategies, covering

weed s, mar ine p ests an d an imal welfare. Th e Australian

Pest An imal Strategy is based on 12 key pr inciples:

1. Pest animal man agemen t is an inte gral part of the

sustainable man agemen t of natur al resour ces for

the be nefit of the econ omy, the environ men t,

hu man h ealth an d amen ity.

2. Combating p est an imal problem s is a shar ed

responsibility that requires all parties to have a

clear und erstanding of their roles and

responsibilities.

3. The d evelopme nt, mon itoring and r eview of

integrated pest animal management strategies

need to be un derpinn ed by good science.

4. Setting priorities for, and investment in, pest

animal man agemen t mu st be inform ed by a risk

management approach.

5. Prevent ion and early inter vent ion are th e most

cost-effective techniques for managing pest animals.

6. Pest animal management requires coordination

amon g all levels of govern men t in p artn ership

with ind ustry, land an d water m anagers and the

commu nity, regardless of land ten ure .

7. Effective pe st animal m anagemen t req uirescapacity-building across government, industry,

land an d water man agers and th e commu nity.

8. Management of established pests sho uld aim to

addr ess actual rather th an p erceived p roblem s,

and to red uce impacts rather th an simply pest

animal num bers.

9. Management shou ld be strategic in ter ms of

determ ining where management should occur,

timing of managemen t, being proactive and

using appropriate techniques.

10. Wher e ther e is a choice of meth ods, ther e need s

to be a balan ce between efficacy, hum an en ess,community perception, feasibility and

emer gency need s.

11. The benefits of management should exceed the

costs of imp lemen ting contr ol.

12. As part of an in tegrated p est animal man agemen t

pro gram, com mer cial har vesting may offset

man agemen t costs.

Executive Summaryi

Executive Summary

Feral camel in central A ustralia. Photo: B. R ose, Department of the Environmen t

and Water Resources.


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Th e Australian Pe st An imal Strategy iden tifies the

following goals and objectives to realise its vision:

Goal 1 Provide leadership and coordination for t he

management of pest anima ls

Objective 1.1 To develop the capacity and pr ocesses

for effective d eliver y of pe st animal

management.

Objective 1.2 To ensure nationally consistent pest

animal management app roaches are in

place at all scales of management.

Objective 1.3 To improve public awareness of pest

animals, research coor dination an d its

supp ort for pest management at the

nation al level, and ad option of best

practice management method s.

Goal 2 Prevent establishmen t of new pest animals

Objective 2.1 To prevent the introduction of new

animals with pest potential.

Objective 2.2 To ensure early detection of, and

rapid r esponse to, new incursionsof exotic anim als.

Objective 2.3 To reduce the spread of pest animals to

ne w areas within Australia.

Goal 3 Manage the im pacts of established p est

animals

Objective 3.1 To identify established pest animals of

national significance.

Objective 3.2 To identify and manage the impacts of

pest an imals on key assets.

Objective 3.3 To coordinate the management of

establish ed pest an imals across Australia.

These objectives will be imp lemen ted thr ough a set ofstrategic actions, with progress to be measured against

specific outcom es.

Executive Summary ii

Feral cat devouring a crimson rosella. Photo: C. Potter.


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1.1 The introduction of exoticanimals into AustraliaDuring th e past 200 years, hun dred s of exotic

(n on-native) animals have been deliberately impor ted

into Australia, bot h legally an d illegally, for p astoral

pro du ction, transportation , pets, pest contro l or simply

to m ake early settlers feel mor e at hom e (Bomford an d

Har t 2002). In ad dition, a few have been impor ted

accidentally, for example in cargo. Some species

(e.g. fox and rabbit) were released into the wild legally,oth ers (e.g. goat and pig) escaped dom estication o r

captivity, and some ( e.g. Indian mynah ) were released

illegally (Bomford and Har t 2002).

Exotic animals that become established in the wild

typically ha ve a h istor y of do ing so in man y places,

and often h ave th e following attributes

(Bomford and H art 2002):

h igh fecun dity;

gen er alised d iet;

an abil ity to live in modified landscapes; and

a climatic match between Australia and the placewhere they occur naturally.

In mainland Australia, wild pop ulations have b ecome

establishe d b y at least 73 species of intr od uced

vertebrates, including 25 mammal species, 20 birds, four

rep tiles, one amph ibian an d at least 23 freshwater fish

(Bomford 2003). O f other introd uced species, seven

birds, one m amm al and two reptiles are established in

th e wild on Australian o ffsh ore island s. Fortu nat ely,

man y impor ted species originally plann ed for re lease

into th e wild, including m ore than 50 species of birds,

have n ot becom e established .

1.2 Australias pest animal problem

A pest an imal is define d as any animal th at h as,

or h as the poten tial to h ave, an ad verse economic,

environm ental or social/ cultural impact. Manyintr odu ced an imals th at have establishe d wild

pop ulation s have becom e pests. Th e owne rs and

users of private and public lands spend considerable

time and money addressing the impacts of pest animals.

Pest animals h ave m any impacts in Australia. Som e

species cause significant d amage t o cro ps and seriously

affect Australias livestock in du stries by pr eying on stock,

competing for pasture or causing severe land

degradation by promoting soil erosion, stream tur bidity

and th e spread of weed s. Many pest anim al species

threaten the survival of native plants and animals

through competition, habitat destruction and predation.

Pest animals may also act as reservoirs for diseases that

affect n ative wildlife, d om estic stock or peo ple. Eleven of

Australias major p est animal species (wild p op ulation s

of foxes, pigs, rabbits, mice, goats, carp, dogs, cane

toad s, camels, cats and h orses) are conser vatively

estimate d t o h ave imp acts valued at over $720 million

ann ually (McLeod 2004). Th e cost of oth er significant

pests, includ ing e xotic bird s such as starlings, spar rows

and Ind ian mynah s, as well as dee r an d d on keys, makes

the overall economic impact mu ch greater.

Pest animals also h ave con sider able social impacts,

includin g being a n uisance, damaging infrastru cture or

cultur ally impo rtan t sites, causing tr affic acciden ts, as

well as having important (but largely unreported) social

and psychological effects on primary producers and

the ir families.

Introduction1

1. Introduction

Feral pi gs dig over wide areas for roots. T his cau ses extensiv e damage to ground

level vegetation. Photo: Department of Primary Industries, New South Wales.

Feral pig. Photo: B. Cowled, In vasive An imals CR C.


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1.3 Managing pest animals

Methods used to contr ol pest animals must be e ffective

against species that adapt well to ch anging con ditions,

ha ve good dispersal abilities and can qu ickly incre ase

pop ulation size. These contr ol meth ods sho uld also

po se few risks to n on -targe t an imals or oth er assets,

cause m inimal contam ination of soil, crop s and

wate r ways, an d satisfy an imal welfare cr iter ia.

The m ost useful pest animal contro l metho ds are:

kil ling or removal (e.g. bait ing, shooting, trapping

or mu stering);

exclusion (e .g. fencing or ne tt ing) ;

biologica l or fe r t ility control;

habitat manipula tion (e .g. removal of surface

refuges); and

changes in land use inc luding agricultural

practices (e .g. timing of lambing or p lanting

different crops).

Introduction 2

In th e past 50 years, we h ave learn ed m uch about

pest animals, their imp acts, and ho w to con trol

them . For exam ple, the r abbit plagues of the 1920s

to 1940s caused severe land d egradation and loss of

pr od uctivity. In tro du cing the myxomatosis an d

rabbit haemorrhagic disease viruses, warren

ripping, and selective use of baiting have resulted

in great d ecreases in rabb it popu lation s across

Australia. Int en sive con tro l of foxes, cats, goats and

rod en ts on o ffshore islands and in mainland areas( e.g. Western Australias Western Shield Pr ogram

and Bounceback in th e Flind ers Ranges of South

Australia) has resulted in larger p opu lation s of

small thr eatene d native m arsupials, birds, rep tiles

and inverteb rates.

Useless Loop community members assessing maintenance requirements for the 2.8 kilometre barrier fence that excludes foxes and feral cats from the 1200 hectare

Heirisson Prong reserve for threatened mammals in Western Australia. Photo: J. Short, Wildlife Research and Management, Western Australia.


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1.4 Challenges for pest animal management

Despite increased u nd erstanding and better control

meth ods, ther e ar e still significant challenges to face

in m inimising th e imp act of pest an imals in Australia.

The se challenges includ e:

Regulatory challenges

addressing increases in the i llegal trading andkeeping ( or de sire to keep) of poten tial pest animals;

making greater use of regulatory provisions whilerecogn ising stakeholders limited econ omicincentives or capacity to manage pest animals;

Response challenges

facili tating rapid responses to new pestanimal problems;

improving coordina tion and planning of response and managemen t;

addressing pest animal management within thebroader context of natural resource and catchmen tmanagemen t and across rural and u rban areas;

using current resources more efficiently and

effectively, and accessing n ew resou rces if requ ired ;

Education/training challenges

improving awareness of problems and solutions,including impro ving kno wledge of p est speciesdistribution, ecology and impacts, and developingaltern ative managemen t techniques;

ensuring the availability of training for thoseinvolved in p est managemen t;

greater acceptance of stakeholders perceptions,respon sibility and pr iorities for p est animalmanagement;

acknowledging the benefits provided by pest animals

as well as their costs;

Research challenges

better understanding costs of environmentalimpacts;

addressing all pathways of introduction and spread;

understanding changes in risk posed by pest animalsdue to climate change;

continuing to provide improved methods andknowledge for op timising pest animal managem ent;

Socio-political challenges

ensuring adequate resources for ongoing targeted

control p rograms; ensuring continued availability of current pesticides,

including ad dre ssing an y animal welfare, con cern swith the use of such pesticides; and

learning to live with some pests.

1.5 Why do we need a national pestanimal strategy?

Although past man agemen t h as significantly reducedboth the n um bers and imp acts of some p est animals in

some p arts of Australia, man y pr oblem s persist. More

research and developme nt is ther efore essential. Some

pop ulations of established pests are expan ding into new

areas and th ere h ave been r ecent incur sions of new

exotic species with m ajor pest po tential ( e.g. red ear ed

slider tu rtle) . The man agemen t of some p est animals

(e.g. cane toads) remains thwarted by a lack of effective

man agemen t too ls while oth er species (e.g. feral cat)

need a wider ran ge of man agemen t appr oaches. Pest

animal man agemen t could certainly be impr oved by

using control measures more strategically. This couldinvolve targeting key areas to facilitate both the control

of existing species and sur veillance for n ew on es;

implementing control at more appropriate times; using

a combination o f techn iques; adop ting long-term

planning; and more effective communication among

stakeholders.

It is impor tant to recogn ise that th e prevention of

incursions, or an early response to th em, can be ver y

cost-effective in m an aging po ten tial pest impacts. For

this to occur, the efforts of all stakeholdersincluding

all levels of government, industries, landholders,

commun ity groups and the general publicneed to bebetter inte grated. For example, many peop le in th e

wider comm un ity have little awaren ess of pest an imals,

as their impacts are often less visible than those of other

thr eats to en vironm ental and pro du ction values, such as

salinity or weeds.

Introduction3

1. Introduction

T he cane toad was origi na lly in troduced as a biocontrol agent on ly to become a

pest in its own right. Photo: D. McRae.


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A well-targeted commu nity education p rogram could

help prevent n ew incursions of exotic animal species

with p est poten tial and increase sup por t for existing

control programs.

Th e Australian Pe st An imal Strategy pr ovides guidan ce

to address these pest animal management concerns

across Australia.

1.6 Who are the stakeholders in this Strategy?

Ther e are man y stakeholder s in pest animalmanagement, from both th e govern ment and n on-

government sectors, most of whom have specific

responsibilities.

Government Stakeholders

The Australian Govern men t h as responsibilities to:

provide a mechanism by which pest issues

of n ational significance can be ide ntified

and addressed;

coordina te , facilitate and promote nat ional pest

animal management policies and programs;

provide leadership , coordina tion and resources forresearch, evaluation and edu cation in relation to

pu blic awaren ess-raising ab ou t pe st animal issue s of

national significance;

provide leadership and coordina t ion for emergency

responses to pest animals of national significance;

encourage and suppor t the deve lopment and

integration of effective p est an imal manageme nt

strategies at all levels of man ageme nt ;

manage pest animal problems on Australian

Government land in a responsible way, in

co-oper ation with oth er lan downer s;

facil itate, in co-operation with the states and

ter ritories, the d evelopme nt o f an econo mic, social

and cultural framework th at encou rages pest animal

man agemen t as an in tegral part of sustainable

natural resource management; and

provide a legislative framework, including

quar antine an d en vironm ental legislation, to

minimise the risk of new pest animal species

becomin g established.

State an d ter ritor y govern men ts have r espon sibilities to:

manage pest animal problems on government land

an d water ways in a respo n sible way, in co-op erat ion

with oth er land owne rs;

exercise statutory responsibil it ies to encourage

responsible pest animal managemen t;

enhance co-operat ion and coordina t ion of pest

animal man agemen t at local, regional and state

levels;

encourage responsible pest animal management by;

o pro viding a suitable institution al and

legislative framework;

o developing and implemen ting effective p olicies

and programs; and

o pro viding positive suppo rt th rou gh financial

incen tives an d assistan ce schem es as well as

appropriate standards and regulations.

provide leadership , coordina t ion and resources for

research , evaluation , advisor y services and

edu cation p rogram s about p est animals;

encourage the development of e ffect ive pest animal

man agemen t strategies at local, region al, state an d

na tion al scales; and

provide a legislative framework to minimise the risk

of new pest animal species becoming established.

Introduction 4

Ran ger in specting a trapped feral cat. Photo: Department of Su stainability an d

Environment, Victoria.


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Local governments, in some jurisdictions, have a role in:

assist ing with data collection and information

exchange;

assist ing with the coordination of community pest

animal management programs;

represent ing community in terests in pest

animal management;

supporting the activities of local self-help groups

un dertaking p est animal management;

exercising statutory duties to encourage responsiblepest animal management; and

managing pest an ima l p rob lems on loca l

gover n men t land in a respon sible way, in co-

oper ation with oth er lando wner s.

Non-Government Stakeholders

Ind ividual lando wner s and lan d u sers have

respo nsibilities to:

recognise that pest animals can have significant

impacts on agriculture and biodiversity;

de tec t and report new pest animal occurrences; unde rstand land use systems and the

cause-and-effect relationships that apply

to pest animal problem s;

apply the ir knowledge and skills to improve

pest animal management;

manage pest an imal problems on their own

land; and

cooperate and, where relevant, p lan pest animal

management activities jointly with neighbours.

Commu nity and indu str y organ isations have

respo n sibilities to:

represen t members in tere st s in pest

animal management;

provide their members with information on pest

animal issues and th eir managem ent;

con tr ibu te to the fund ing of re search and

developm ent of impro ved pe st control meth ods;

par ticipa te in the development of codes and

po licies that imp rove the effectiven ess of pest

animal management; and

provide leade rsh ip and d irect ion .

Regional natu ral resour ce managemen t group s have

respo nsibilities to:

coord ina te and implement regional and catchment-

based pest animal plannin g programs;

represent community in terests in pest animal

management; and

work with landho lde rs and gove rnment to

develop effective regional pest animal

management p rograms.

Keep ers of exo tic spe cies have r espon sibilities to:

minimise the risk of escape of invasive species;

seek approval to import new species;

r ep or t all e scap es; an d

register all licensed exotic species where this is

a requirement.

Commu nities have a ro le in:

improving educat ion about pest animal problems,

par ticularly raising aware ne ss;

coordina t ing loca l group development and ac tion

on p est animal prob lems;

encouraging loca l involvement in the management

of pu blic lan d an d water ways; and

par tic ipa ting in loca l and regional pest animal

management p rograms.

Introduction5

1. Introduction

Feral goats now occur in all Au stralian states and on man y offshore islands, but

are most common in the rocky or hilly semi-arid areas of western New South Wales,

South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland. Photo: SXC.


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1.7 Scope of the Strategy

The scope o f the Strategy is to ad dre ss the u nd esirable

econom ic, environ men tal and social impacts of

terr estrial verteb rate animals (m ammals, birds, reptiles,

amph ibians and fish) . The Strategy recognises that

some species may also h ave p ositive im pacts, so th at

man agemen t of th ese species will nee d to consider

both kinds of impacts. While th e focus of national

cooper ation un der the Strategy will be on exotic

species, the strategies are gen eric rathe r th antaxon-specific, and can be ap plied to o ther

species as approp riate.

1.8 How does the Strategy fit within thenational framework?

The Australian Pest Animal Strategy sits under the

overar chin g Australian Biosecurity System for Primar y

Produ ction and the Environm ent (AusBIOSEC), which

inte grate s activities with respe ct to all invasive p lants,

animals and disease-causing organisms of terrestrial,

freshwater and marin e environ men ts that impact on

primary industries and on natural and built

en viron men ts. AusBIOSEC establishe s a po licy

framework for greater nation al collaboration on

biosecurity issues, both within an d acr oss jurisdictions,

and with key stakeholder s in th e pr imar y pro du ction

and environment sectors. AusBIOSEC is providing

common principles and guidelines to ensure

consistency of biosecurity arrangements across sectors

and jurisdictions, and will be implemen ted th rou gh an

intergovern mental agreement.

The goals, action s and outcom es specified in th e

Strategy are co n sistent with AusBIOSEC, and with

appr oaches which m ay enh ance it.

Appendix 1 provides a table of programs, strategies

and policies at all scales of vertebrate pest management

in Australia.

Introduction 6

Laying of fox baits for the East Pin gelly Dwarlacking Catchment Group, W estern A ustralia. Part of the coordinated communi ty baitin g program, "Red Card for the Red

Fox". Photo: G. Farrelly, W W F-Au stralia.


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1.9 Key principles

Th e Australian Pe st An imal Strategy is based on th e

following 12 key pr inciples:

1. Pest animal man agemen t is an inte gral part of the

sustainable man agemen t of natur al resour ces for

the be nefit of the econ omy, the environ men t,

hu man h ealth an d amen ity.

2. Combating p est an imal problem s is a shar ed

responsibility that requires all parties to

have a clear un der stand ing of their roles

and responsibilities.

3. The d evelopme nt, mon itoring and r eview of

integrated p est animal managem ent strategies nee d

to be u nder pinned by good science.

4. Setting priorities for, and investment in, pe st an imal

man agemen t must be informed by a risk

management approach.

5. Prevention and early inter vention are th e most cost-

effective techniques for managing pest animals.

6. Pest animal management requires coordination

amon g all levels of govern men t in partn ership withindu stry, land and water man agers and the

commu nity, regardless of land ten ure.

7. Effective pe st animal m anagemen t req uires

capacity-building across government, industry,

land an d water man agers and th e commu nity.

8. Management of established pests sho uld aim to

addr ess actual rather th an p erceived p roblem s,

and to red uce impacts rather th an simply pest

animal num bers.

9. Management shou ld be strategic in ter ms of

determ ining where management should occur,

timing of managemen t, being proactive and usingappropr iate techniques.

10. Wher e ther e is a choice of meth ods, ther e need s

to be a balan ce between efficacy, hum an en ess,

community perception, feasibility and

emer gency need s.

11. The benefits of management should exceed the

costs of imp lement ing contr ol.

12. As part of an in tegrated p est animal man agemen t

pro gram, com mer cial har vesting may offset

man agemen t costs.

Introduction7

1. Introduction

T he feral buffalo has been a major environmental di saster in the wetlands of the Top En d. W hen the populati on was at it highest, from the 196 0s to the 1980 s, the feral

buffalo grossly altered the character of the n orthern f loodplain s. Photo: B. Downs, L ochman Tran sparencies.


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VisionAustralias biodiversity, agricultural assets and social

values are secure from th e imp acts of verteb rate p est

animals.

The Strategy in outline 8

2. The Strategy in outline

Goal 1Provide leadership and coordination for the management of pest animals

Objective Actions Outcomes

1.1 To develop the capacity andprocesses for effective delivery of pest

animal management.

1.1.1 Establish an implemen tation grou p tooversee delivery of the Australian Pest

Animal Strategy.

1.1.2 Establish a m echan ism for

stakeholder consultation.

1.1.3 Establish th e p osition of Coordin ator,

Australian Pest Animal Strategy.

1.1.4 Develop an imp lement ation plan for

the Strategy.

1.1.5 Develop proce sses to resolve p oten tial

conflicts between en vironm ental, econo mic

and social values.

Australia has institutional arrangements inplace for implemen ting and assessingprogress under the Australian PestAnimal Strategy.

Australia recognises and balances diverseviews on pest animal m anageme nt.

1.2 To ensure nationally consistentpest animal management approachesare in place at all scales of

management.

1.2.1 Improve the consistency and effectivene ss of

pest animal man agemen t legislationacross Australia.

1.2.2 Develop inte grated pest animal

management plans that are consistent with the

prin ciples of the Strategy at national, state,

ter ritor y, regional an d pr oper ty levels.

1.2.3 Develop nation ally consistent codes of

practice and standard operating procedures for

pest animal management.

Australian, state, territory and local

governments, regional groups and landman agers have in p lace consistent legislationand plans that manage the impacts of pestan imals effectively.

Nationally-consistent and regionallyappropriate app roaches guide p estmanagement.

1.3 To improve public awareness ofpest animals, research coordination

and its support for pest management

at the national level, and adoption of

best practice management methods.

1.3.1 Raise awareness of pest animal impacts

among landholders and the general community

and their support for pest management throu gh a

communication plan to increase en gagement in

reducing pest animal threats.

1.3.2 Produce a shared research and development

plan to improve the development and adoption

of best practice pest animal control methods, and

facilitate adopt ion of th is plan by all stakeho lders.

1.3.3 Increase land man ager awareness of

integrated pest animal management an d

monitoring method s and th eir value, including

the d eliver y of training programs.

Improved education, extension, trainingand commu nity awaren ess suppor t efficientand coordinated national pest animalmanagement.

Nationally coordinated research improves

Australias capacity to develop pest animalcontrol techn iques.


14/31The Strategy in outline9

2. The Strategy in outline

Goal 2Prevent establishment of new pest animals


2.1 To prevent the introduction of newanimals with pest potential.

2.1.1 Work with Australias trading partners,

count ries of origin of hum an visitors and n ear

neighbours to minimise the risk of introducing

pest an imals into Australia.

2.1.2 Maintain ap proach es for assessing th e p est

animal risk of all new animal imports.

2.1.3 Minimise the risk of escapes of legally held

captive or pet exotic species.

Measures are in place to minimise the risk ofnew potent ial pest animals becomingintroduced into Australia.

2.2 To ensure early detection of, andrapid response to, new incursions of

exotic animals.

2.2.1 Develop an d m aintain n ationally agreed lists

of high-risk animal species for surveillance an d

national response.

2.2.2 Maintain and improve the resources

available for ide ntifying p oten tial pest an imals.

2.2.3 Establish and maintain nation ally consistent

processes for surveillance, repo rting an d

identification of new invasive species incursions.

2.2.4 Develop a pest anima l incursion

response plan.

2.2.5 Guided by feasibility and cost/ bene fit

assessmen ts, conduct er adication programs for

new incur sions.

Australia is better equipped to detect theintrod uction of n ew exotic species.

Australia has nationally-coordinatedproced ures to respon d effectively to ne wexotic species incur sions.

Australia successfully carries out eradicationcampaigns for n ewly introd uced pest animals.

2.3 To reduce the spread of pestanimals to new areas within Australia.

2.3.1 Reduce the risk posed by legally held species

through containment and contingencies in case

of release or escape.

2.3.2 Through education and enforcement,

control the n atural spread or translocation of

pest an imals.

2.3.3 Assess the thr eat o f sleeper or ot her

isolated populations, and eradicate or contain

these according to assessments of feasibility,

costs and bene fits

The spread of pest species within Australia isminimised.

Goal 3Manage the impacts of established pest animals


3.1 To identify established pest animalsof national significance.

3.1.1 Iden tify established pest animals of n ational

significance as the subjects of nationally

coordinated action.

Resources are focused on addressing thehighest prior ity pest animal pro blems.

3.2 To identify and manage theimpacts of pest animals on key assets.

3.2.1 Ensure con trol p rogram s give pr iority to key

assets under threat from pest animals.

3.2.2 Develop and implemen t site-based

approaches to man aging pest animal threats to

key assets.

Key assets are protected from pest animals.

3.3 To coordinate managementof established pest animalsacross Australia.

3.3.1 Develop n ational guidelines for m anaging

pest an imals of national significance.3.3.2 Develop man agemen t plans for pe st animals

of n ational significance

The impacts of pest animals of nationalsignificance are reduced.


15/31

Goal 1Provide leadership and

coordination for management of

pest animals

Objective 1.1 To develop the capacity and

processes for effective delivery of pest animal

management

Effective implementation of the Australian Pest Animal

Strategy will requ ire strong o wner ship and commitmen tfrom all stakeholder s, good coor dination an d adeq uate

resourcing, which will be achieved thr ough the

following action s.

1.1.1 Establish an implementation group to oversee

delivery of the Australian Pest Animal Strategy

Th e Vert ebr ate Pests Com mitte e will con ven e a Strategy

Implementation Group to oversee implementation of

th e Strat egy. Th e Strategy Imp lemen tation Gro up will

be r esponsible for th e re gular review of pro gress and

evaluation of th e Strategys implemen tation an d

evaluation of its effect.

1.1.2 Establish a mechanism for stakeholder

consultation

Key stakeholders need to have input into the Strategys

implemen tation to ensure it is un der taken e ffectively.

Th e Ver tebr ate Pe sts Comm ittee will establish

mechanisms for consultation with key stakeholders to

ensure their participation.

1.1.3 Establish the position of Coordinator, AustralianPest Animal Strategy

A fund ed coordin ator p osition is essential to en sure

effective implementation. This position will have thefollowing respo n sibilities:

acting as first point of contact for the Strategy;

supporting the Strategy Implementa tion Group(see action 1.1.1), especially in developing andimplemen ting subsidiary plans and strategies un derth e Australian Pest Animal Strategy, such as th ecommunications plan (action 1.3.1);

supporting the Strategy Implementa tion Group inevaluatin g pr ogre ss and effectiven ess inimplemen ting the Strategy;

facil itating necessary meetings, consultation, and

oth er contact with stakeholder s du ringimplementation; an d

manag ing p rograms to in teg ra te and coord ina teeducation, training and research about pestanimals.

1.1.4 Develop an implementation plan for the Strategy

Th e go als of the Australian Pest Anim al Strategy will be

achieved by implementing specific actions. The Strategy

Impleme ntation Group will expand on the Strategys

goals and objectives to develop an appr opr iate

implemen tation p lan, which m ay include subsidiar y

plans and strategies, such as a commu nications plan.

1.1.5 Develop processes to resolve potential conflicts

between environmental, economic and social values

Different stakeholder s may ho ld different o pinion s on

pest animal issues, and negotiations may be requ ired to

set and implemen t man agemen t objectives for

par ticular species. The Ver tebr ate Pests Com mitte e will

develop a mod el appr oach for resolving such con flicts

amon g stakeholder s.

Actions under the Strategy in detail 10

3. Actions under the Strategy in detail

Feral horses (brumbies) in the Barmah State Forest, Victoria. Photo: J. Baker,

Department of the Env ironment an d Wa ter Resources.


16/31

Objective 1.2 To ensure nationally consistent

pest animal approaches are in place at all scales

of management

Effective implementation of the Australian Pest Animal

Strategy will requ ire a commitme nt to imp roving

consistency across all relevant legislative and

institution al fram eworks, which will be ach ieved

thr ough the following actions.

1.2.1 Improve the consistency and effectiveness of pestanimal management legislation across Australia

States and terr itories have legislation to exclude new

species and to enforce control of pest animals. However,

the legislation in some jurisdictions differs in imp ortan t

ways, for examp le in giving access to p rivate land to

respon d to ne w pests or th ose that do n ot affect primar y

production. Similarly, inconsistencies in regulations for

the legal holdin g of poten tial pest animals can

un der mine law enforceme nt in stricter jurisdictions.

The Strategy Implem entation Group will ther efore work

towards imp ro ving th e co n sistency of legislative

provisions across jurisdictions, harmonising the exotican imals which can be legally-he ld.

The Strategy Implementation Group will also investigate

th e feasibility of legislation an d p olicy app roa ches in all

jurisdictions reflecting the need for concer ted

appr oaches to identified national pr iority pest animal

species, while still allowing flexibility to manage pests

significant at state, territory or regional levels. The use

of nationally-consistent approaches to accrediting

pre mises, certifying h olders an d identification tagging

would decrease the risk of held animals becoming pe sts.

1.2.2 Develop integrated pest animal managementplans that are consistent with the principles of the

Strategy, at national, state, territory, regional and

property levels

The d evelopmen t of nation al plans for respon ding to

both new and established pest animals (objectives 2.2

and 3.3 respectively) will nee d to be supp orted by

enab ling pr ovisions and plan s at state and terr itor y

levels, as well as by the d evelop men t of lists of prior ity

species (actions 2.2.1 and 3.1.1).

States often h ave several age n cies involved in p est

animal management. The management of fisheries and

of the impacts of pest an imals on conser vation ar eas, forexample, are rarely the responsibility of the same

agency. Research and extension can also be spread

across several agencies or, in jurisdictions with

pu rchaser-pro vider m odels, per formed within th e same

agency but u nder different management an d d irection.

All jurisdictions will need to ensure that their pest

animal m anageme nt activities are well coordin ated

amon g relevant agencies. Integrated plann ing will

ensure th at resources are allocated an d work

und ertaken at th e app ropriate national, state, regional

or local level. Pest man agemen t should be linked to ,

and integrated with, local and regional natu ral resource

and catchm ent m anageme nt activities.

1.2.3 Develop nationally consistent codes of practiceand standard operating procedures for pest animal

management

Nationally-sup por ted mod el codes of p ractice an d

stand ard oper ating pr ocedur es will pro vide th e basis for

ensuring best practice management, including the

hu man e treatme nt of pest animals. Ind ividual

jurisdictions can eithe r adop t or adap t such n ational

codes and pr ocedur es for th eir own u se.

Actions under the Strategy in detail11


Wild dog captured by a foot trap, which have recently been under scrutiny. Codes

of practice can gui de appropriate feral an imal control methods. Photo: CSIRO.


17/31

Objective 1.3 To improve public awareness of

pest animals, research coordination and its

support for pest management at the national

level, and adoption of best practice

management methods

Australia will ne ver b e free fro m th e imp acts of pest

an imals. New pr oblem s will arise b y an imal species

slipping through even the strongest quarantine

pro cedur es, or from animals escaping captivity and

establishin g wild pop ulation s. Add ressing existing an d

futu re p est anim al impacts effectively will requ ire

actions related to education, communication, training

and research. This will be facilitated by the appo intmen t

of the Australian Pe st An imal Strategy Nation al

Coordin ator ( objective 1.1), responsible to th e

Ver tebr ate Pests Comm ittee.

1.3.1 Raise awareness of pest animal impacts among

landholders and the general community and their

support for pest management through a

communication plan to increase engagement in

reducing pest animal threatsThe effective implementation of the Strategy will

require th e support and participation of all

stakehold ers. In par ticular, it will be critical to in volve

pu blic and p rivate landh olders in un der taking relevant

pest animal control on their land. Industry and

commu nity grou ps also h ave imp ortan t ro les to play.

Tho se who h old, breed an d trad e pote ntial pests can

play an imp ortan t role in pr eventin g the spread of pest

animals, for examp le by not re leasing such an imals

into th e wild und er an y circum stances, and by

rep ortin g all escapes.

1.3.2 Produce a shared research and development plan

to improve the development and adoption of best

practice pest animal control methods, and facilitate

adoption of this plan by all stakeholders

Although contro l option s are available for m any pestanimal species, ther e is a need both to contin uallyrefine th e techn iques available and to de velopadditional techniques. For some species (e.g. feral cats,fish) , there are few practical techn iques cur ren tlyavailable, so furth er r esearch and developme nt isessential. Research programs should especially addressth e lack of ecological kno wledge for some species and

the p oor u nder standing of the social componen ts ofpest managemen t. To coordin ate national research inhigh priority pest research areas, a pest animal researchand developme nt plan will be developed as a criticalcomponen t of the implementation plan. The researchplan will identify curr ent imp edimen ts to research an d

ways in which th ey cou ld b e overcom e.

It is impor tant th at govern men ts sup por t new contr ol

techn iques: these may cur ren tly be u nd er-used because

of a lack of knowledge, lack of formal training (e.g.

Agricultural Chemical Users Permit certification), lack

of fun ds, or a redu ced capacity to man age pest animals

following the decline in r ural po pu lation s. The re search

and development plan will canvass approaches for

mor e widespread adop tion of ne w, mor e effective

control method s.

1.3.3 Increase land manager awareness of integrated

pest animal management and monitoring methods and

their value, including by delivering training programs

Pest m anageme nt involves more than just th e killing of

pest animals. Tertiar y institution s need to p rovide

future man agers and researchers with kn owledge across

a r ange of fields, includ ing ecology, ch em istr y, wildlife

and landscape m anageme nt, an d socio-econom ics.

Specific pest managemen t education an d trainin g

programs are needed for natural resource managers,

secondary and tertiary students, and the broader

commu nity. Existing pr ograms linked to adult tr aininginclude th e Compan ion Animals Ind ustry nation al

training package and the National Conser vation and

Land Management training package.


A plague of mice take bait laid in a farm shed. Photo: Queensland Department of

Primary Industries and Fisheries.


18/31

Goal 2 Prevent establishment of new

pest animals

Objective 2.1 To prevent the introduction of

new animals with pest potential

Preven ting n ew intr odu ctions into Australia is thepr imar y an d m ost cost-effective way to m an age in vasivespecies. It is therefore advisable to implement a holisticappr oach, including iden tification of sources and

path ways, and inte rcep tion b efore en tr y, to deal withinvasive species that ar e po ten tial pests bu t n ot yetestablishe d in Australia.

2.1.1 Work with Australias trading partners and nearneighbours to minimise the risk of introducing pestanimals into Australia

As a country with pest management expertise, Australiashould play a role in assisting its near neighbours tostrengthen their abilities to manage invasive species,no t least because action at th e source of a pot entiallyinvasive or ganism re du ces the r isk posed t o Australia.For example, South East Asia is home to many animalspecies potentially invasive to Australia, such as cobras,monkeys, house crows and black-spined toads. Some ofth ese species have been spread across Asia deliber atelyas food or p ets, or acciden tally as hitchh ikers. Actions tored uce th e spread of pest animals in South East Asiancoun tries may red uce th e r isk of spread to Australia.

Pest managem ent assistance to neighb our ing countr ies

may occur thr ough direct p rogram deliver y, assistance

in trainin g or th e pr ovision of techn ical expertise.

For example, weed biological con trol pr ograms

have reduced the impact of weeds such as Siam

weed ( Chromolaena odorata) in countries to Australias

nor th, and the North ern Australian Qu arantine Strategy

curr ently assists in th e sur veillance o f plant and animalpests in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.

2.1.2 Maintain approaches for assessing the pest animal

risk of all new animal imports

Effective management of potential pathways for animalintr od uction into Australia involves knowledge of allmod es of entr y: these may include legal importation ,smuggling, hitchhiking, or illegal but accidentalimpor tation caused by contam ination or a lack ofknowledge. It is possible to red uce both inten tional andun inten tional intro du ctions by assessing th e r isk of on eor more species entering via a particular pathway.

To d ate, Australias stron g quar antine barr ier h asgener ally pre vente d un inten tional pest animal entr y,not least because border activities overseen by theAustralian Qu arantin e and In spection Service und erthe Q uaran tine Act 1908 have been designed to detectstowaways. Thu s most of t he exotic an imal species usedin agriculture or kept as companion animals or byhobbyists or commercial breeders in Australia havebeen impor ted d eliberately.

Agricultural and med ical research r equires continuin g

experimen tation with intro duced species.The Environm ent Protection an d Biodiversity

Conservation Act 1999 and the Quar antine Act 1908

pr ovide for risk assessmen ts of candid ate species for

impor t. The Strategy Impleme ntation Group will assess

the n eed to h arm on ise related legislation an d po licies at

state and territory levels, as these also act to regulate

the imp ort or keeping of animal species in different

jurisdictions (see also action 1.2.1). The Strategy

Impleme ntation Group will assess the n eed for fur ther

harmonisation of provisions for importing species, as is

already being do ne in th e context of aquar ium fish

species.

2.1.3 Minimise the risk of escapes of legally captive or

pet exotic species

Some of the species of highest risk of becoming

po ten tially establishe d in th e wild are alr eady in

Australia, in legal or illegal captive h oldin gs.

It is therefore impor tant to h ave in place effective

legislation and oth er m easures to discourage an d

prevent th e r elease of th ese species into the wild.



Released pet goldfish are now n aturali sed through most of south-east Au stralia.

Photo: J. L ochman , L ochman Tran sparencies.


19/31

Objective 2.2 To ensure early detection of,

and rapid response to, new incursions of exotic

animals

Effective implementation of the Australian Pest

Animal Strategy will require a commitment to

improving detection and rapid response to new

incursions, which will be achieved thr ough the

following action s.

2.2.1 Develop and maintain nationally agreed listsof high-risk animal species for surveillance and

national response

The Strategy Impleme ntation Group will oversee the

development of the following lists of important species

not currently in Australia to provide a focus for

national operations:

A National Sur veil lance list of species, to beiden tified th rou gh p ath way an alysis of species atrisk of arriving in Australia an d assessmen t of th erisk posed by potential establishment in the wild.Th is list will be a focus for n ation al sur veillance

activities (action 2.2.3). A National Alert l ist , to cover species already

established in Australia with the potential forfurth er spre ad. Th ese species will be the subject ofassessmen ts for e radication or containm ent( action 2.3.3).

Note th at a list of Established Pest Anim als of Nation al

Significance is to be developed as the b asis for

nation ally-cooper ative on going man agemen t for

established pest animals (see action 3.1.1).

Early detection of a po ten tially invasive spe cies is often

crucial if eradication, or at least contain men t, is to be

feasible. The timely iden tification of new in cursion s canbe suppor ted by imp roved train ing, new techn iques to

identify high-risk species, and targeted distribution of

identification m aterials to peo ple in a p osition to detect

new incursion s. These tools shou ld be directed towards

species iden tified o n lists developed un der action 2.2.1.


Case Study: Fish incursions

in AustraliaThe n eed to impro ve comm un ity awaren ess of the

risks of re leasing exotic species into th e Australian

environment is illustrated by fish introductions. Fish

species con stitute a significant pro por tion o f

ver tebr ates with wild p op ulation s in Australia.

No fewer th an 12 d ifferent path ways for h um an-

assisted en tr y an d d ispe rsal of fish species have be enidentified. The aqu arium ind ustry has been th e major

path way, with 22 species originatin g from th is sou rce.

Before th e 1920s, most alien fish were introd uced by

acclimat isation societies for spor t fishin g: spe cies

included roach (Rutilis rutilis), redfin perch ( Perca

fluviatilis), r ainbow trou t ( On corhynch us mykiss) and

carp ( Cyprinus carpio) . In t h e p ast 40 years, several

species impor ted for aquarium or aquacultur e use

have been released deliberately or accidentally,

including Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar) , several

African cichlids (Amphi lophus, Archocentru s and other

genera) and tilapia ( Tilapia zilii an d Orechromismossambicus) .

With an e stimated 12 pe r cen t of Australians now

keeping aqu arium fish, it is no t surpr ising th at

releases of exotic species h ave occur red . Risk

man agemen t requ ires nation ally-consistent

regulation, including th e pre vention of high risk

species from en tering th e coun tr y, sur veillance

programs of high risk waters, and effective education

campaigns on re spon sible pet ownership, including

best practice disposal.

Introduced carp are now the most abundan t large freshwater fish i n t he

Murray-Darling Basin and are the dominant species in many fish communities

in south-east Australia. Photo: G. Schmida, Lochman Transparencies.


20/31

2.2.3 Establish and maintain nationally consistentprocesses for surveillance, reporting and identificationof new invasive species incursions

A nationally-coordin ated appr oach to sur veillance isrequ ired to ensure that new incur sions of existing pestspecies, or species with pest potential, are detected asearly as po ssible. Th is sho uld focus on species ofconcer n, p articularly tho se on the National Sur veillancelist ( action 2.2.1), an d o n sites of concern (such as inand ar oun d por ts and tr ansit dep ots, islands or

research facilities).

Govern men ts, indu str y, non -govern men t organ isationsand the general community all have complementaryroles to play in an integrated nation al sur veillancepro gram. Processes sho uld be put in place so that alllevels of govern men t can share information in a timelyman ner on pest species incursions, interception s andou tbr eaks. This will facilitate bett er an alysis of pote n tialpath ways, pr even tion and early respon se. As par t of anation al sur veillance n etwork, edu cation pro gramssho uld en courage ind ividuals to rep ort n ew pestspecies. Various commu nity and in dustr y rep ortin gsystems have alread y bee n d evelop ed for iden tifyingand reporting invasive species of weeds and crop pests.These pro grams could be exten ded to pest animals, forexample through the development of internet sites forrep ortin g new species. However, cur ren t impe dimen tsto rep orting n eed to be r esolved. Of particular note isthe shor tage of trained taxonom ists. Corre ctiden tification of species is cru cial to effectivesur veillance, bu t Australias capacity in t his area hasdeclined. New agreements or protocols to assist inspecies iden tification in Australia or overseas maybe required.

2.2.4 Develop a pest animal incursion response plan

Procedu res developed by the Strategy Implem entationGroup will give effect to processes to be agreed underth e AusBIOSEC, includin g for n ation ally cost-sharedrespon ses. At th e n ational level, response pr ocedur esare already in place for new non -vertebr ate pest andpathogen incursions that affect primary production,such as ne w an imal diseases or crop -affecting insectsand diseases. These proced ures include nation alcomm ittees to assess risks, con du ct cost-ben efitan alyses of po ssible re spon ses an d o versee th erequ ired r esour cing of staff actions and exp ertise.To avoid Australia bein g caught un prep ared, similar

respon se plann ing need s to be pu t in place for n ew pestanimal incursions. On e mo del could be t he Alaskan ratspill program, where fishers and other people visitingrem ote Alaskan island s are given th e skills an dequipment to respond to new rat infestationsstemming from shipwrecks.

2.2.5 Guided by feasibility and cost/benefit

assessments, conduct eradication programs for

new incursions

Eradication is the elimination of an en tire pop ulation of

an invasive species. Altho ugh erad ication m ay be

expen sive, an d requ ires lon g-term resource allocation s,

it is the prefer red response to an y new incur sion with a

poten tially serious impact. Jurisdictions need to ensure

that staff are adeq uately trained in erad ication re spon se

meth ods for a range of verteb rate p ests.



T he macaque, nati ve to south-east Asia, i s a potentia l in vasive pest for Australia.

T hey are highly ada ptable, generalist feeders who prefer distu rbed habitats n ear

human s and can range from sea level to 12 00 metres in tropical areas. Photo: SXC.


21/31Actions under the Strategy in detail 16

Case Study: The war against

island invadersIslands cover 3 per cent o f the Earths sur face bu t

pro vide habitat for some 45 per cent of bird, plant an d

rep tile spe cies. Since 1600, as man y as 90 per cen t of

the worlds bird an d r eptile extinction s, and u p to h alf

its plant an d m ammal extinctions, have occurr ed on

islands. A major r eason for th is has been the

introduction of exotic species, which have caused

eno rm ous dam age to m any island ecosystems and

continue to endanger endemic species.

Wor k in New Zealand has iden tified seven pr inciples of

action that ensure successful eradication o f pest species

from islands:

1. Natural re -invasion o f the island shou ld n ot be

possible;

2. Pest ind ividuals sho uld be remo ved from the

popu lation at a rate greater than that at which they

can re-pop ulate;

3. All individuals of the target species should be put

at risk in as short a time period as possible;

4. All meth ods and tech nique s mu st be pr oven in

trials or actual projects before use;

5. Absolute atten tion to plann ing and

implementation detail is required;

6. Skilled and ded icated staff are req uired at both

planning and implementation stages; and

7. There must be full commitment to th e project at

all levels of the relevant management agency.

Following these principles, New Zealands Department

of Conservation has successfully undertaken several

pro grams to er adicate pest animals from islands,

including logistically challenging programs in theSouthern Ocean.

On e high pr ofile program has been the er adication of

kiore (Rattus exulans) from Tiritiri Matangi Island in

the Hau raki Gulf near Auckland. Th is eradication

pro gram, and th e restoration of much of the n ative

vegetation previously cleared for farming, made it

po ssible to establish Tir itiri Matan gi as an o pe n

sanctuar y and island ark for the tuatara ( reptile) as

well as for man y end angere d b ird species, including

the red-crowned parakeet, Nor th Island saddlebacks,

whiteh ead, brown teal, takahe, Nor th Island robin ,

little spotted kiwi, stitchbird, kokako, fernbird, andthe North Island to mtit. In add ition , tuis have

subseque nt ly self-establish ed o n t he island .

Prior to 1984 Tiritiri Matangi in the foreground looked much like looked much

like the mainland in the background of this photo. Since then, eradication of

kiore and the restoration of native vegetation have successfully transformed the

island. Photo: F. Keenan .

Rare native birds have been returned to Tiritiri Matangi including the North

Island robin (toutouwai). Photo: F.Antram.


22/31

Objective 2.3 To reduce the spread of pest

animals to new areas within Australia

2.3.1 Reduce the risk posed by legally held species by

containment and contingencies in case of release or

escape

Several an imal species originally introd uced for p rimar y

pro du ction h ave subsequently established pop ulations

in the wild. Current activities, such as the translocation

of both native an d exotic fish species or the use of new

breeds of grazing animals, can lead to new pest

pop ulations becoming established in th e wild.

Regulatory agencies therefore need to assess the risks of

per mitting th e use of new species or strains wher e th ey

could escape into the wild.

Some exotic animals currently kept in Australia in

captivity pose a high risk of becoming established in the

wild if sufficient numbers were to escape. To reduce this

risk, special conditions should be applied to species in

zoos, circuses, captive b reed ing or oth er forms of

containment. All species require a risk assessment, and

nation ally agreed stand ards, including escape re spon se

strategies, sho uld be d eveloped for the keep ing of

an imals in th ese facilities.

2.3.2 Through education and enforcement, control the

natural spread or translocation of pest animals

The bord ers of states and ter ritories provide

opp or tun ities for th e spread of invasive species,

particularly thr ough un inten tional carriage of pests in

motor vehicles, but also for their control. Reducing th e

spread across jurisdiction s will be en han ced b y impr oved

consisten cy between jurisdictions in legislative co nt rols

on the sale and h olding of species (action 1.2.1).

Natural boun daries also pr ovide op por tun ities for

quarantine controls. For Western Australia, for

example, the Nu llarbor pro vides a natural limit to

spread . The isolation of Tasman ia and offsho re island s

also pr ovides oppor tun ities for qu arantin e measures to

contro l the intro duction o f new pest animals.

Measure s are in place, for example, to limit the spre ad

of cane toads to offsho re Nor ther n Terr itor y islands.

States and terr itories nee d also to p ut in place

practicable measures to redu ce the tran slocation of

pests to n ew areas within their boun daries.

This includes discour aging th e de liberate

stocking in the wild of pest species for hu ntin g

and recreation al fishing.



Case Study: Starling management in

Western AustraliaAs an in vasive p est, few bird species compar e to th eCommo n Starling ( Sturnus vulgaris) in th eir ability tocolonise con tinen ts, wreak h avoc on man y agriculturalind ustries an d adversely imp act biod iversity. Starlingswere introd uced to south -eastern Australia from 1857onwards and are now widespread in all states and

territories except the Northern Territory and WesternAustralia. The management of starlings in WesternAustralia shows how maintain ing a lon g-ter mquaran tine bar rier, in this case the n atural barr ier ofthe Nu llabor p lain, can pr event th e spre ad of aninvasive p est species.

In Western Australia, starlings were first sighted in1917 at Albany. Since th en, an ongoin g campaign h asbeen waged to keep starlings out o f the state. During a30 year pe riod, the starling control pr ogram r emovedmor e th an 55,000 potential invaders from th e westernfront of the starlings range an d from within WesternAustralia. The contr ol pro gram faced m any challenges,

but has had major successes, including stopping twomajor westward incu rsions at Man ype aks (19871988)and Brem er Bay ( 19881991) . The p rogram continu es,increased in both size and intensity, with the latestinfestation discovered in 2001.

T he common starling is widespread in Au stralia except in t he Northern

Territory and Western Australia. Photo: SXC.


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2.3.3 Assess the threat of sleeper or other isolated

populations and eradicate or contain these according

to assessments of feasibility, costs and benefits

A few pest anim al species cur ren tly exist in Australiaonly in small, isolated populations. Some of thesespecies can be con sidered sleeper s, in that theyconstitute a poten tial future r isk from a po pulationexplosion: the se include red -eared slider turt les insouth -east Q ueen sland and Polynesian rats on WesternAustralian islands. Sleeper species on the National

Alert list would be tar geted for eradication to redu cethe risk to other parts of Australia. Eradication of pestanimals at key assets should also be assessed forfeasibility an d cost effectiven ess (ob jective 3.2).

Goal 3 Manage the impacts of

established pest animals

Objective 3.1 To identify established pest

animals of national significance

Many of the 73 or so species of introd uced verteb rateswhich have established pop ulations in main land

Australia do not meet the criteria to justify eradicationeffort. For th ese species, the m anagemen t option s arecontainmen t, control or no m anagement.

Some non -eradicable verteb rate pests have r estrictedpop ulations (e.g. tur tle doves) and t heir imp acts arelocalised ; othe r species (e.g. rab bit, fox) h ave widedistribution s and th eir impacts are extensive and ofnation al significance. Investmen t in th e man agemen t ofestablished pests should be largely directed to thosespecies deemed to be having m ajor impacts at th enat ion al level which can be mitigated cost-effectively.

3.1.1 Identify established pest animals of national

significance as subjects of nationally coordinated

action

The Strategy Implem entation Group will oversee th eiden tification of a List of Establish ed Species ofNational Significance. This list can guide coordinatedaction by states and territories to more effectivelycontrol these established key pests (see Action 3.3.2).


T he black rat i mpacts on biodiversity through eating small ani mals and birds, eggs, fru its, an d other plant mat erial. Photo: J. L ochman , Lochman T ransparencies.


24/31Actions under the Strategy in detail19


Case Study: Western Shield Fauna

Recovery ProgramDuring the past 100 years, Australian native mammals

have de clined significantly in n um ber and range. In

Western Australia ( WA) , 11 species have beco me

extinct, five species have disappeared from the

mainland but r emain o n a few offsho re islands, and 29

species rem ain on th e mainland b ut h ave declined

significantly or are th reaten ed with extinction. Th isimpact h as been almo st en tirely confined to Critical

Weight Range (CWR) mammalsthose that have a

mean adult bo dy weight between 35g to 8kg and ar e at

risk from introduced predators.

Research in the 1980s by scientists from WAs

Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC)

showed that, for many species, the effective control of

the Europ ean Red Fox leads to a recovery of native

mammals in term s of popu lation abund ance and an

increase in ran ge. Fox con trol allows the r e-

introd uction of species into areas of their form er ran ge

and is the most effective method of recovering CWRmamm als, as well as some oth er thr eatene d species.

In 1994 an aerial fox con trol and research pro gram

called O pe ration Foxglove was initiated by DEC across

about 570,000 hectares of the nor ther n jarrah forest.

Based on th is success, in 1996 th e Western Shield

Fauna Recovery Program was launched. Western Shieldis a broad scale pr ogram aimed at red ucing fox density

on DEC-managed lands to allow for the recovery of

existing n ative an imals and the re-introd uction o f

oth ers. Western Shield covers an o verall are a of 3.6

million h ectares, extendin g from Esperan ce in the

states south -east to Karratha in th e n orth , and

including the n ational parks and fore sts of the south-

west as well as num ero us wh eat b elt r eser ves. Fox

con tro l is achieved by laying d ried meat baits,

containing th ree m illigrams sodium fluor oacetate

(1080), from th e air or on the groun d at an intensity of

on e bait to ever y 20 ha ( five baits/ km2), four time s a

year. Smaller reserves are ground-baited monthly.

Western Shield and WAs previous large-scale fox

control programs have proven successful: in 1996, the

Woylie (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi) was rem oved fr om

WAs Thre aten ed Species List an d th e Nation al List,

and in 1998 th e Tammar Wallaby (Macropus eugenii

derbianus) and Quenda (Isoodon obesulus fu sciventer)

were r emo ved fro m th e WA list. Western Shield

research con tinues, refining its meth ods for e ffective

cat control, and its mon itoring techn iques for cats and

foxes, and exploring th e concept of mesopred ator

release, wher e rem oval of the to p pr edator in the

ecosystem may increase the abu nd ance of subord inatepredators.

European red fox in a trap. Photo: D. Peacock.

Preparin g 108 0 poison baits for fox and feral dog control. Photo: B. Johnson.


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Objective 3.2 To identify and manage theimpacts of pest animals on key assets

3.2.1 Ensure control programs give priority to keyassets under threat from pest animals

In ad dition to th e iden tification of species of nation alsignificance th ere is a ne ed t o iden tify key assets un de rthr eat from p est animals. The ide ntification of keyassets sho uld include econom ic, social and conser vationconsiderations and are likely to differ between states.

For this reason, control of widespread species shouldfocus on areas wher e imp acts are gre atest. For examp le,it may be b ette r to in vest mor e h eavily in feral p igcontrol in areas with high value crops than in areas withcrops of lesser value. It may also be more important insome states to protect some high value assets from pestanimal species of lower national significance (e.g. rats).The Strategy Implementation Group will assess theben efits of developing guide lines to identify and ran kkey assets for p est anima l contr ol.

Geograph ically discrete and isolated pop ulations of pe stanimals can be foun d on mainland Australia andTasman ia, as well as on offsho re island s. Such

pop ulations, particularly on offshor e islands, pro videimportant oppor tunities for pest eradication to supportlong-term biodiversity conservation. Jurisdictions needto ide ntify isolated p est animals popu lation s that imp acton na tion ally imp or tan t biod iversity values, and to assessth e feasibility and cost-effectiven ess of era dication andof then m aintaining the area free of the pest.

3.2.2 Develop and implement site-based approachesto managing pest animal threats to key assets

It is not feasible to man age the impacts of pest an imals

across large a reas whe re ke y assets have been iden tified.

In th ese situations targeted cont rol in pr iority areas

(site-based appr oach) will provide be tter m anagemen t

outcomes. While pest animals may be widespread, rarely

are th ey un iform ly spread across the land scape.

Population d ensities and impacts can be qu ite differen t

in different ecosystems. For this reason, control of

widespread species should focus on areas where impacts

are greatest or wher e the retur n for effort is greatest.

Managem ent pro grams sho uld be focussed at locations

wher e site characteristics (e.g. natur al barr iers to

reinvasion, better access, presence of cooperative

landowners) imp rove th e likelihood of success. Thu s the

NSW Fox Th reat Abateme nt Plan iden tifies priority

areas for fox contr ol across all land ten ures to supp ort

biod iversity con servation, while th e pr ogram s Western

Shield in Western Australia, Sou th er n Ark in Victoria

and Op eration Boun ceback in South Australia all direct

resources to priority areas.

Furth er r esearch an d field pr actice will assist in

developing appr oaches to better man age pest animal

th reat s to differen t types of key assets (such as

pop ulations of thr eatened small mammal species

pred ated by pest animals).


Local ranger, conducting one of the biannual aerial baiting of Carrarang Station

to the South of H eirisson Prong in Western Au stralia to create a buffer zone free

of foxes adjacent to the core research area. Photo: J. Richards.


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Objective 3.3 To coordinate the management of

established pest animals across Australia

3.3.1 Develop national guidelines for managing

established pest animals of national significance

National guidelines may be app rop riate for the

man agemen t of pe st an imals of nation al significance.

Existing do cumen ts, such as the Bureau of Rural

Sciences Guidelines and Departm ent o f the

Environm ent an d Water Resour ces thr eat abatemen t

plans, could be adapted for this pu rpo se.

The developmen t of n ationally consistent Codes of

Practice and Stand ard O per ating Procedur es (objective

1.2) will also assist th e coor din ation of pest an imal

con tro l activities.

3.3.2 Develop management plans for established

pest animals of national significance

The Strategy Impleme ntation Group will oversee the

development of national plans for the management of

established pests of national significance. Where these

plans address species listed as key threatening processes

un der th e Environm ent Pro tection and BiodiversityCon ser vation Act 1999, th ese plan s will also fu lfil th e

requirements for national threat abatement plans in

addressing the following:

providing a c lear statement of the pestanimal problem;

out lin ing object ives and act ions;

involving all stakeholders in establishing rolesand responsibilities;

in tegra ting the p lan with o ther natural resourcemanagement plans;

considering the suitability and availability of all

available tools, includin g contr ol meth ods ( e.g.chem ical, commercial har vesting, m echan ical andbiological contr ol managem ent practices) , training,edu cation, legislation and regulation, incen tivesand penalties;

p romoting coord ina ted community act ion(following the Landcare approach); and

provid ing an approach fo r monitor ingand evaluation.

State, territor y and r egional natural resource

man agemen t agencies or grou ps will be encour aged to

develop and implemen t complem entar y plans to give

effect to th e n ational plans.



Preparin g free-feeding bins for feral pigs in the Conondale R ange, Queensland.

Photo: D. Stewart.


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Term s in t his glossary have bee n co llected from variou s do cum en ts. Term ino logy to d escribe invasive species have

no t yet been stand ardised inter nation ally.

Biosecurity The m anageme nt o f risks posed by organisms to the e conom y, environm ent andpeop les health th rou gh exclusion, mitigation, adaptation , control and eradication( Global Invasive Species Program ) .

Containment Keep ing an invasive species within region al bar rier s (Global In vasive SpeciesProgram).

Emergency response The detection and rep ortin g of an invasive species wher e an immed iate response

decision an d man agemen t action is required ( Adapte d from th e AusBIOSECglossary).

Endemic Native to a particular area and found no wher e else (Australian State of theEnvironm en t Repor t, 2001).

Eradication The r emoval of the en tire pop ulation of an alien species in a man aged area:eliminat ing th e invasive species comp letely ( Global In vasive Species Program ) .

Establishment Th e p roce ss of a species in a n ew hab itat successfully rep rod ucin g at a level sufficientto en sure continu ed sur vival without infusion o f genetic material from outside thesystem ( Global In vasive Species Pro gram ) .

Exotic Not n ative to a p articu lar cou nt r y, ecosystem, or e co-area ( app lied to in vasive speciesintentionally or accidentally introduced as a result of human activities)(International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures, Glossary of Phytosanitary

Terms).

Feral population An animal species that h as reverted to th e wild from d omestication. The mer ekeeping of a species in captivity does not imply domestication, so the term shouldnever be used to r efer to wild, no n-dom esticated species (Europ ean Com mu nities2004).

Introduction The movement by hu man s of a species outside its natural ran ge, both within acountry or between countries (International Union for the Conservation of Natureand Natural Resour cesthe World Con ser vation Un ion, 2000).

Invasive species A non-native species, the establishment and spread of which threatens ecosystems,habitats or oth er species with econ omic or environ men tal har m (Global InvasiveSpecies Program ).

Native species A species within its natu ral ran ge ( past or p resent) , including an y area which it canreach an d occup y by its own legs, wings, wind / water-born e or oth er d isper salsystems, even if it is seldo m fou nd th ere ( Global In vasive Species Progra m) .

Pathway Th e m ean s by which invasive spe cies move. Possible p ath ways includ e air, sur facewater, grou nd water, plants, animals and h uman s(ad apted from the Australian Weeds Strategy).

22

4. Glossary


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Pest animal Any animal having, or with the potential to have, an adverse economic,environ men tal or social impact.

Quarantine Legal restrictions imposed on a place, plant, an imal, vehicle, or oth er th ings limitingmovement (Adapted from the Australian Veterinar y Emer gency Plan(AusVETPLAN)).

Sleeper Exotic species that h ave established , but are b elieved to h ave n ot yet reached the irpoten tial to form large and widespre ad p opu lations in Australia, despite beingestablished for some years. They are regarded as having the potential to assumemajor significance as invasive species (Adap ted from th e Australian Weed s Strate gy) .

Su r veillan ce An official p ro cess wh ich collects an d r ecor ds d ata on pest occu rr en ce or absen ce bysur vey, monitorin g or othe r pro cedur es (In tern ational Stand ards for Phytosanitar yMeasur es, Glossary of Phytosanitar y Term s).

Tran slocation Th e d eliberate tran sfer of sp ecies or regen erative mater ial fr om on e p lace to

anoth er. Translocation can be used to enh ance existing popu lation s, reintrod uce a

species to a site wher e it form erly occurr ed, an d to introd uce a species to a site

wher e it h asnt been record ed previously ( Australian National Botantical Garden ) .

Glossary23

4. Glossary


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Australian Weed Strategy (2006, in p ress)

Bomford, M. (2003). Risk assessment for the import and keeping of exotic vertebrates in Australia,

Bure au of Rural Sciences: Canber ra.

Bomford , M. and H art, Q. ( 2002) . Non-ind igenous verteb rates in Australia. Pp. 2545 in D. Pimen tal (Ed.) :

Biological Invasion s: Econo mic an d En viron me nt al Costs of Alien Plan t, An imal, and Microb e Species.

CRC Press, Boca Raton , Florida.

Braysher, M. (1993) . Man aging ver tebr ate p ests: prin ciples and strate gies. Comm on wealth of Australia.

Commo nwealth of Australia ( 1997). The nation al weeds strategy. Agriculture an d Resour ce Managemen t Coun cil

of Australia an d New Zealand, Australian and New Zealand Environm ent and Conservation Coun cil and Forestr y

Minsters, Canber ra.

Commonwealth of Australia (2005) Australian Animal Welfare Strategy Australian Government Department of

Agricultu re, Fishe ries an d Forestr y, Can ber ra.

Departm ent of Natural Resources and Mine s (2005). Verteb rate pe st man ual: A guide to p est animal managemen t

in Qu een sland. Departm ent o f Natural Resour ces and Mines, Queen sland.

Global Invasive Species Programme. Found ed by the IUCN (th e World Con ser vation Un ion) , CAB Inter nation al

and the Scientific Comm ittee on Problems of the Environm ent (SCOPE). www.gisp.org

McLeod, R. (2004). Counting the cost: impact of invasive animals. Cooperative Research Centre for Pest Animal

Control, Canber ra.

Bibliography 24

5. Bibliography


30/31Appendix25

Appendix 1 Other relevant strategies and activities

Scope/scale Biosecurity management/

resource management

Pest management Species management

National Australian Biosecurity Strategy for PrimaryProduction and the Environmen t.

National Animal H ealth Strategy.National Plant H ealth Strategy.

National Aquatic Animal Health Strategy.

Australian Weed Strategy.

National System for the Prevention an d

Management of Marine Pest Incursions.A Strategic Approach t o the

Management of Or namental Fish in

Australia.

Threat abatement p lans for species

such as feral cats, foxes, rabbits, goats

and pigs.

National pest management guidelines.

State State biodiversity Strategies

State biosecurity strategies

State invasive spe cies

framework/ targets/ indicators.

State pest animal strategy.

Individual p est animal strategies e.g.

wild dogs, rabbits, feral pigs.

Threat abatement plans for individual

species.

Individual species reference group s.

Regional/

Catchment

Natural resource management strategies for

regions.

Regional/ Board Pest Management

Plans.

Regional pest managemen t strategies.

Regional management plans for

individual species such as wild dogs,

deer, feral pigs and rabb its.

Local Local biosecurity plans Local government area pestmanagement plans.

Local and community group programs.

Property Proper ty man agemen t plan s. Pr oper ty pest man agemen t plan s. In dividual p roper ty p est an imalmanagement actions.

This strategy is supp orted by many other state, ter ritor y and nation al strategies and activities that shar e goals in th e

man agemen t of pe sts, biosecurity and natu ral resources. The r ange o f scale, scope an

Australian Pest Animal Strategy

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