The Invasive Animals CRC primarily concentrates its research
effort on the 'top nine' invasive vertebrates in terms of
cost to Australia's economy and biodiversity.
However, we are doing some investigative work and keeping track of
other pests of concern.
Projects in our Detection and
Prevention Program are aimed at mapping the distribution of
invasive animals and developing and analysing risk assessment
models for the import and keeping of exotic vertebrates. This
work will provide an important tool for determining the likelihood
of exotic species establishing in Australia, and their risk of
spread.
An emerging issue of major concern is the verification of the
presence of foxes in Tasmania. Until recently, all accidental
or intentional introductions of foxes (including one in 1864,
another in 1890, one in 1910 and one caught in a trap near
Launceston in 1972) have not resulted in successful
establishment. A team of experts has now determined
that an unknown number of foxes have been deliberately and/or
accidentally introduced to Tasmania since 1998 and that some of
these and possibly their progeny are still living in the wild.
Because of its previous freedom from these animals, Tasmania is
one of our last refuges of many small ground-dwelling mammals,
including the Eastern Barred Bandicoot, Southern Brown Bandicoot,
New Holland Mouse, Broad-toothed Rat, White-footed Dunnart,
Tasmanian Bettong, Long-nosed Potoroo and Spotted-tail Quoll. All
these species are either threatened or locally rare. There are also
many ground dwelling/nesting birds (also classed as locally rare)
in Tasmania. Threatened species include the Orange-bellied
Parrot, which is critically endangered on the mainland, the Night
Parrot (endangered) and the Fairy and Little Terns. Other species
which are listed in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999 with foxes as a 'key threatening process'
include the Greater Bilby, the Black-footed Rock Wallaby, the
Djoongari, Burrowing Bettong, Rufous Hare Wallaby and the
Malleefowl. Tasmania also has several threatened lizards and the
Green and Gold frog.
It is therefore vitally important that a concerted effort is
made to eradicate foxes entirely in Tasmania. The Invasive
Animals CRC has sponsored an investigation and report Foxes in Tasmania:
a report of an Incursion by an Invasive Species (2006) and is
supporting
genetic testing of samples of scats to help identify the presence
of foxes in an area. A large-scale baiting program
is set to be undertaken by the Tasmanian government and this work
will assist in providing information with which to target the
effort.
Emerging pests of
concern:
