Australian species face new invasions under changed climate
22 Jul 2008
A push to remove the scourge of exotic plants and animals from vulnerable Australian ecosystems must begin before warmer temperatures encourage the further spread of invasive species, a leading conservation organisation said today.
WWF-Australia today warned Australia’s multi-billion dollar feral animal and invasive weed problem was set to escalate dramatically in areas where warming temperatures favoured exotic plants and animals, such as in Australia’s alpine region.
"Warming temperatures mean feral animals will be able to reach higher altitudes in the alps, for example, which would threaten fragile alpine species already suffering from reduced snow cover," said WWF’s Invasive Species Policy Officer Julie Kirkwood.
"Exotic species that haven't been invasive in these areas before are likely to have a sudden competitive advantage in warmer temperatures," she said.
The Garnaut Climate Change Review Draft Report states that warmer temperatures will favour pest and weed species at the expense of our native plants and animals, and will ultimately add to the high cost of invasive species to the Australian economy that is already in excess of $4 billion.
The Garnaut report recognises that existing environmental stress factors such as invasive species need to be dealt with now to reduce the costs of climate change, and recommends the removal of introduced pest species as a key action to building this resilience.
Rodents, pigs, cane toads, dogs, cats and rapacious exotic plant species such as lantana and gamba grass have caused numerous extinctions in Australia over the last 200 years and continue to devastate Australia's ecosystems.
"The Australian Commonwealth must fully fund plans to address the threat of rodents on islands, for example, and ensure the national Weed Spread Prevention Plan is fully implemented," Ms Kirkwood said.
WWF is also calling on the Australian Government to close existing loopholes in quarantine laws that allow the importation of potentially devastating species, such as the savannah cat, which is a cross between a domestic cat and an African serval.
An existing loophole means if the animal can be demonstrated to be at least five generations removed from their wild constituent species, they are treated as domestic cats and can be lawfully imported under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act without a permit.
For more information:
Charlie Stevens, WWF-Australia Press Office,
02 8202 1242, 0407 204 594
Julie Kirkwood, WWF-Australia Invasive Species Policy Officer,
0417 121 430
