Implementation of Australia’s National Weed Biocontrol Pipeline Strategy

Abstract

Biological control (biocontrol) is a fundamental weed management tool in Australia, with an average benefit to cost ratio of 23:1 and the capacity for target-specific, self-sustaining limits on growth and reproduction of environmental and agricultural weeds. Given the widely recognised benefits, Australian governments and research organisations have developed a national priority list of candidates for weed biocontrol, building on efforts by jurisdictions and industry to target particular species. The National Weed Biocontrol Pipeline Strategy was collaboratively developed by Australia’s weed biocontrol organisations and then endorsed by the intergovernmental Environment and Invasives Committee (EIC) in July 2023. The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry then funded the strategy’s initial phase of implementation to undertake national priority setting for weed biocontrol. The key body of work was the development of the National Weed Biocontrol Prioritisation Framework, that separately assessed weed threat and biocontrol prospects, combining these in a prioritisation matrix. The assessment framework was applied to 125 weed species, with 16 identified as very high priority across one or more phases of biocontrol research; (1) native range exploration, (2) host-specificity testing, (3) mass rearing and release, and (4) monitoring and evaluation. A subsequent National Weed Biocontrol Investment Report was developed for the priority list, collating 18 priority research projects, covering 20 species. The initial phase project investigated the current state of online information and reporting on weed biocontrol releases through Atlas of Living Australia’s Biocontrol Hub. A Weed Biocontrol RD&E Alliance was established as a national governance mechanism to oversee the strategy, with membership from weed biocontrol research organisations, the EIC Weeds Working Group, industry research funders and other stakeholder sectors. CISS raised the national profile of weed biocontrol during the project through newsletters, media releases and social media.