Project 2.6.2 - Identification and impact of invasive species in the Wet Tropics rainforests

Project 2.6.2 will focus on invasive species (including translocated native species) in rainforests and modified coastal landscapes.  It will develop tools for predicting the spread of invasive species, map the distribution and document the impacts of invasive species, identify priority species for detailed study, and carry out those detailed studies.  This will include an analysis of end user needs and priorities as well as research currently being undertaken by the CRC for Australian Weed Management, the Invasive Animals CRC and the Plant BioSecurity CRC, to identify exactly where MTSRF--funded research can obtain the best return on its investment in invasive species.

For the purposes of this project, invasives are defined (from a European perspective) as species moved beyond their natural range, and may include exotic, translocated and pest species.  The term 'rainforest landscapes' is used to include terrestrial and aquatic systems and human-dominated parts of the landscape (agricultural and urban areas) as well as rainforest ecosystems.

Key Objectives of Project 2.6.2 include:

• An assessment of research needs for management of invasives;

• Frameworks and tools for predicting invasive species' spread through rainforest landscapes;

• Distribution and impacts of invasives; and

• Research into priorities species and those identified in Objective (a).