Download Invasive Species Policy

Invasive Species Policy
Purpose
This policy will equip BirdLife Australia to work on invasive species issues in a way that
increases the conservation outcomes for birds. It should be read in conjunction with other
relevant BirdLife Australia policies including our Pest Bird Management Policy.
Policy
1. BirdLife Australia understands that invasive species pose one of the greatest threats to
birds and biodiversity, and also impact on broader environmental and social values
and the economy.
2. BirdLife Australia supports stringent biosecurity to ensure invasive species do not
come to Australia accidentally or intentionally.
3. BirdLife Australia supports strong invasive species legislation, protocols and
management plans that aim to prevent or mitigate the adverse impacts of invasive
species (which may include native species) on the environment, biodiversity and
ecological processes.
4. BirdLife Australia supports statutory provision for transparent and independent
biodiversity risk assessment of proposed new introductions (including new varieties of
existing introduced species) and urges that only species and varieties verifiably
assessed as posing negligible risk be permitted into Australia.
5. BirdLife Australia encourages the removal from existing permitted lists of any species
and varieties of non-native biota that place birds and biodiversity at risk.
6. BirdLife Australia supports high biodiversity standards and mandatory domestic
controls on hull fouling and ballast water to minimise the introduction and movement
of marine invasive species that may damage marine, coastal and estuarine
environments.
7. BirdLife Australia supports the development of strategies to limit the exacerbation of
invasive species impacts under climate change.
8. BirdLife Australia supports control of invasive fauna by lethal means (e.g. culling)
where proven necessary to protect biodiversity or native ecosystems provided that
controls are undertaken within the appropriate legal frameworks, are humane, and
designed to be effective and lasting.
9. BirdLife Australia supports independent performance assessment of invasive species
policy implementation and management, and supports regular reporting on
performance and on the residual threat that invasive species pose to birds and
biodiversity, including through State of the Environment reporting and publication of
National Environmental Accounts.
Policy Number: 2013/001
Date Adopted: 23/02/2013
Last Updated: 03/12/2012
10. BirdLife Australia supports and promotes research and monitoring to identify the bird
taxa and habitats most at risk from invasive species and to enable the effective
implementation of policy and management to protect birds and their habitats from
invasive species.
11. BirdLife Australia supports public education about invasive species issues and
community involvement in invasive species policy development and implementation.
12. Birdlife Australia strives to eliminate the impact of invasive species on birds on its own
properties through effective eradication, control and management.
Background
An introduced species is one that has had human-assisted transport and free release outside
its historically known range (Long 1981; IUCN 1987). Some introduced species form selfsustaining populations and become naturalized in their non-native environment. Some of
these naturalized populations are benign in the environment but the species that have or
have the potential for an adverse impact on the environment are called invasive species.
Introduced species in Australia include around 30,000 exotic plants, 12000 native plants
(outside their natural range), 650 vertebrates (not including fish), 1200 freshwater fish,
thousands of freshwater and terrestrial invertebrates, thousands of marine organisms and
thousands of micro-organisms and fungi (Invasive Species Council 2010).
Over 100 Australian bird taxa are threatened at least partly by invasive introduced species.
While introductions from overseas are now regulated, there are still gaps in regulation and
implementation, and the domestic movement of invasive species is poorly regulated. This
includes potential for movement of species within Australia to new marine areas through hull
fouling and ballast water.
The impacts of invasive species on native species include competition, predation,
hybridization, disease, changes to vegetation structure and floristics, soil erosion and
compaction, and altered fire regimes. A related issue is the overabundance of some native
species within their natural range through human-induced causes. While this does not
comprise invasion per se the impacts can be similar.
The threat of invasive species is driven by historic practices such as “acclimatization”
(deliberate establishment of exotic species) and recent accidental or deliberate introductions
through trade, travel and illegal means. Trade pathways include agricultural and horticultural
industries (including introductions of new varieties of species already in Australia) and
domestic pet and aquarium industries. Some species are spread by hunters (e.g. pigs, deer,
foxes). Marine organisms are introduced mainly through ballast water and hull fouling.
Invasive species are almost ubiquitous, and present threats to birds in most places where
they occur. Impacts are severe on many islands, as well as in the arid inland. Southern
rangeland areas and parts of the eastern ranges and seaboard are also heavily affected.
Examples of the impact of invasive species on birds include:
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Island birds and island-dependent seabirds are often heavily affected by predation and
habitat alteration by invasive species such as rabbits, rats, cats and foxes.
Birds that nest and/or feed on the ground are often especially vulnerable to predation by
cats and foxes and the impacts of feral herbivores on ground habitats (e.g. birds of
woodlands and scrublands; Western Ground-parrot; Night Parrot; Bush Stone-curlew;
many wetland birds).
Policy Number: 2013/001
Date Adopted: 23/02/2013
Last Updated: 03/12/2012
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Ground-nesting shorebirds and wetland birds are experiencing major breeding failure
related to depredation by introduced foxes, cats, dogs and rats, and also due to
overabundant native predators such as Silver Gulls and Little Ravens (which have
benefitted from availability of human food waste).
Coastal heathland birds may be impacted by changes to vegetation structure arising from
invasion of weeds such as Coast Wattle and Tea-tree (e.g. Southern Emu-wren, Ground
Parrot).
Introduction of Gamba Grass and other weeds is rendering some northern savanna
grasslands unusable by shorebirds.
Attitudes and approaches to invasive species have evolved since European settlement from
active introduction, to regulation to protect agricultural interests, to today’s more complex
environmental, economic and social context. Overall, policy approaches have been weighted
heavily towards protecting human health, amenity and economic interests. Recent shifts in
invasive species policy at state and national level towards a somewhat improved focus on
environmental protection and biodiversity conservation are welcome and should be
strengthened.
Definitions
Assemblage
A set of taxa (species, sub-species and populations) that co-occur in a given habitat.
Ballast water
Seawater used as ballast in marine vessels, which may contain and so transport living marine
organisms.
Control
Purposeful intervention to reduce the fecundity, abundance, range, or impact of an invasive
taxon.
Eradication
Purposeful intervention to entirely exterminate an invasive taxon from a place.
Exotic species
A species (or taxon) not occurring naturally in Australia (i.e., non-native).
Hull fouling
The adherence of marine organisms to a marine vessel’s hull
Introduced species
Taxa that are introduced by human-assisted transport and free release, directly or indirectly,
to places outside their natural range.
Invasive species
Taxa that are introduced by human-assisted transport and free release, directly or indirectly, to
places outside their natural range where they form self-sustaining populations and have (or
have potential for) an adverse impact on the environment.
Native species
A species (or taxon) occurring naturally in Australia (i.e., not exotic).
Terrestrial
Occurring or living on the ground, rather than in freshwater or marine environments.
Policy Number: 2013/001
Date Adopted: 23/02/2013
Last Updated: 03/12/2012
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Selected References
Assessment of Australia’s Terrestrial Biodiversity 2008,
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/publications/terrestrial-assessment/index.html,
accessed 15th March 2012.
Commonwealth of Australia (2009). BACKGROUND DOCUMENT for the THREAT ABATEMENT
PLAN to reduce the impacts of exotic rodents on biodiversity on Australian offshore islands of
less than 100 000 hectares (2009), Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the
Arts, Canberra.
Invasive Species Council 2012, Exposure Draft of the Biosecurity Bill 2012 A submission from
Environment NGOs, http://www.invasives.org.au/documents/file/sub_draft_biobill_2012.pdf,
accessed 23/11/2012.
IUCN (1987) IUCN Position Statement on Translocation of Living Organisms: Introductions,
Reintroductions and Re-stocking. Prepared by the Species Survival Commission in
collaboration with the Commission on Ecology, and the Commission on Environmental Policy,
Law and Administration. Approved by the 22nd Meeting of the IUCN Council, Gland,
Switzerland, 4 September 1987. IUCN, Species Survival Commission, Gland, Switzerland.
Long, JL (1981). Introduced Birds of the World. A. H. & A.W. Reed Pty Ltd.
National Land and Water Resources Audit 2002, Australian Terrestrial Biodiversity Assessment
2002, Canberra.
State of the Environment 2011 Committee. Australia state of the environment 2011.
Independent report to the Australian Government Minister for Sustainability, Environment,
Water, Population and Communities. Canberra: DSEWPaC, 2011.
Invasive Species Council 2010, How many invaders are there?, in Feral Herald, Newsletter of
the Invasive Species Council, Issue 25, September 2010,
http://www.invasives.org.au/documents/file/Ferald_Herald_issue_25web.pdf, accessed
17/12/2012.
Policy Number: 2013/001
Date Adopted: 23/02/2013
Last Updated: 03/12/2012
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