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working to stop further invasions
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Latest updates
newsletter 1:18, July 2008
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Join Us...
If you care about the threat posed to Australia by exotic invaders, and you'd like to support the work we are doing, please join the ISC.
Australia needs a strong community voice on the issue of invading pests, and the tide of awareness is turning our way. See the membership pages. |
Latest Downloads...
ISC Potential Projects 2008 Download ISC Potential Projects 2008 (476k acrobat pdf file) Download Media Release on Savannah Cats (96k acrobat pdf file) ISC's submission to the Victorian Government's draft 'Land and Biodiversity at a Time of Climate Change' Green Paper. See below... Download ISC Submission (164k acrobat pdf file) Make an online submission to the Victorian Government's draft plan for rebuilding the state's devastated natural environment and protecting threatened species from extinction. Read the recently released 'Land and Biodiversity at a Time of Climate Change' Green Paper. Land and Biodiversity Green Paper An open letter from scientists, calling for a ban on Gamba Grass across Northern Australia Download Gamba Declaration A new Report from the Invasive Species Council, by ISC Project Officer Tim Low, with Carol Booth. Download Report... Adobe acrobat files If you don't have the Adobe Acrobat Viewer, download a free copy here. (approx. 10Mb). After downloading, move the browser plug-in to the Plug-in folder in your web browser folder. See Acrobat Help... Articles appearing on these web pages do not necessarily reflect the views of the Invasive Species Council. |
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a continent under threat Invasive species are a growing problem all over the world, and Australia, an isolated island state with a unique fauna and flora, is especially vulnerable. Over the years incredible harm has been done by such pests as foxes, rabbits, toads, carp, prickly pear, blackberries, rubber vine and the tree-killing disease phytophthora. At last count Australia had 2700 weed species and more than 200 marine invaders. Weeds alone cost the economy $3.3 billion each year. Foxes are blamed for the extinction of several marsupials, and a new disease has been blamed for the disappearance of several frog species. The discovery of red imported fire ants in Brisbane in 2001 shows that major pests continue to invade. Government reports concede that Australia is failing to address the threat properly. New pests keep entering the country, and entrenched pests keep multiplying. Australia State of the Environment 2001, an independent report to the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment and Heritage, has this to say (page 52): 'Australia has insufficient resources to tackle even those species of identified national significance, let alone the threat from new incursions...' It further admits: 'The risk assessment protocols, strategies for containment are all very weak for exotic threats in non-agricultural species'. It was because Australia is not responding well that the Invasive Species Council was formed. We are the first group in the world formed to lobby against invasive species of all kinds (as opposed to groups that tackle other issues besides invasives). The ISC became incorporated in July 2002, and we held our first public event on 26 August 2002 in Melbourne. Those of you who were there will recall the wonderful atmosphere. We have since received messages of support from all over Australia, and even from overseas. |
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This web site provides a brief introduction to the problems of invasive species and the work of the Invasive Species Council. Please contact us for more information. Meanwhile, check out our gallery of images of invasive species and their impacts.
Our newsletter, the Feral Herald, carries a range of articles on current invasive threats, and more about who we are. The hot issues page presents information on some pressing issues, lists recent ISC actions, and opportunities for submissions and eCards. We're also starting to build a list of links to other useful web sites. Please support our work by becoming a member. Letters of support from related organizations that wish to formally support the ISC's Priorities for Advocacy are welcomed. Further information on our committee, and our history. See the help page for help on viewing the site - printing, menus, and to report any problems with viewing the site. This page also lists acnowledgements. Has your organization considered endorsing the ISC's Priorities for Advocacy, to lend weight to our representations to state and federal governments. |
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"Whenever I travel around Australia I'm always amazed by the hold that exotic species have obtained over this land. Visiting Cape York a decade ago I expected to find unsullied wilderness; instead I found rainforests harbouring herds of feral cattle, grubbing pigs, flushes of Latin American carpet grass and slopes choked with hyptis. Cattle had kicked over a termite mound in which paradise kingfishers - one of Australia's most spectacular rainforest birds - were nesting. It's little better anywhere else. Exotic pests are stealing into all of our national parks and wilderness zones.
As an environmental consultant I work mainly in southern Queensland surveying remnant bushland, and here I am struck by the variety and number of garden plants escaping into forests. Jacarandas and umbrella trees look winsome as street trees but when you see them invading forests over and over again you begin to wonder what is going on. |
It disturbs me that most naturalists, ecologists, conservationists and land managers can't even recognise many of our more serious weeds.
A scan of the scientific literature shows that all over the world, ecosystems are in disarray - thousands of exotic species, ranging from mites and mosses to elephants and trees, are invading new lands. Many exotics are benefiting from international trade and travel by hitching rides with cargo. All up, it amounts to a major world phenomenon, but not one you hear discussed enough in the media nor one you see tackled by conservation groups or politicians." Tim Low, a founder of the Invasive Species Council, writing in Feral Future 
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convincing our governments to act
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Last updated: July 2008
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