Soils and vegetation at risk from weeds, pests and disease
Tasmania's biosecurity crucial for environment and agriculture; partnerships and capacity building essential.
Effective biosecurity is critically important to Tasmania’s natural environment and production landscapes. Tasmania’s apparent “clean and green” image is a product of the island’s natural capital and the relative absence of pests and diseases that are present in other parts of Australia, permitting access to domestic and international markets unavailable to other states and territories.
As biosecurity pressures and threats increase, due to increased movement of goods and people, so does the potential for weed, pest and disease incursion.
Partnerships and capacity building are vital to maintaining and improving biosecurity management, as the complexity of biosecurity systems increases and effectiveness of maintaining a biosecure environment increasingly relies on stakeholder capabilities, in particular land managers, and their approaches to biosecurity activities.
Outcome:
By 2030, 40% of priority land managers in the region have increased their capacity to recognise and manage weed, pest and disease threats to agriculture.
Local threats that can be addressed by NRM actions:
- Loss of natural capital
- Loss of production
- Reduction in economically viable enterprises in the region
- Region-wide biosecurity threats
Implementation:
Investment Opportunity
- Australian Government
- Tasmanian Government
- Regional or Local
- Private or philanthropic
Potential Delivery Methods
- Information gathering activities including a foundational spatial review of regional biosecurity threats.
- On-ground works including trials, demonstrations, and one-to-one advice on BMP for different production systems.
- Behaviour-change and capacity-building activities such as BMP education and support, PMP facilitation, extension to landholders.
Potential collaborators
Opportunity for Community Participation
Engagement with landholders including through the development of extension and education materials and website resources; field days and public events; on-farm customised support.
Actions:
LS4.a
Increase awareness of weed, pest and disease threats to agriculture and build the capacity of farmers to prevent, detect and manage threats to farm businesses.