Weeds, Pests and Diseases
The threat posed to Australian native species by invasive weeds and pest animals is growing. It is now second only to land clearing as the biggest threat to Australia's biodiversity.
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Hybrid Mother of Millions - one of the CSIRO's Top 10 invasive weed species
© John Hosking
Escaped invasive garden plants are the biggest source of agricultural and environmental weeds, costing farmers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Phytophora, a serious fungal disease, acts like a biological bulldozer destroying forests in Western Australia. Pest animals have played a major part in the extinction of many native animals, with rats causing the extinction of five bird species on Lord Howe Island alone.
WWF has been instrumental in convincing the Australian Government to commit another $40 million to combat the growing weeds problem, toughen quarantine laws to move towards restricting import and trade of more than 3,000 weeds not yet in Australia, list cane toads, invasive garden plants and rats on off-shore islands as key threats under Federal environmental law, and develop in place a national action plan that will remove rats from islands rich in wildlife.
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Recent Weeds, Pests and Diseases News
Funding agreement to save Macquarie Island: WWF
A major threat to the survival of the grey-headed albatross will be removed thanks to a joint decision today by the Australian and Tasmanian governments to fund a pest eradication program on World Heritage Macquarie Island.
Continue reading 'Funding agreement to save Macquarie Island: WWF'
WWF backs AWU call to boost funding for National Parks
Thousands of new jobs in Queensland would be created and hundreds of native animal and plant species protected from extinction if the Queensland Government invested more money in expanding and resourcing the state’s national parks system.
Helping hand for Wheatbelt wallabies at risk from feral predators
The future of the beautiful but threatened black-flanked rock wallaby remains uncertain as foxes and feral cats continue to wreak havoc on remaining wallaby populations, WWF-Australia has warned on International Day for Biological Diversity.
Fence jumping weeds kill NSW's natural biodiversity
WWF-Australia has called on the New South Wales government to ban high risk plants from being sold in garden centres under the Noxious Weeds Act, after it was revealed that invasive plants are contributing to the near extinction of a significant number of Australia's rarest plant and animal species.
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