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 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
Continuous improvement in biosecurity is vitally important to maintaining Australia's favourable health status which underpins our domestic and international trade, and also to meeting our international obligations. Our biosecurity system also protects our unique natural landscapes and native flora and fauna, including the ecosystem services they provide, and our quality of life.
The National Agreement on Biosecurity, which is currently being negotiated between the Australian and state and territory governments, is a principle-level agreement, including national goals and objectives, key features and attributes of the national biosecurity system and the plan for implementation. It will also commit governments to work in partnership to improve key aspects of the national biosecurity system.
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
What's new
- Draft Cane Toad Threat Abatement Plan - Public consultation closes
16 June 2010
- Draft Feral Camel Action Plan
Public consultation closed
