7-8 September 2021
The Environment and Invasives Committee (EIC) met virtually on 7 and 8 September 2021.
The committee endorsed the National Priority List of Exotic Environmental Pests, Weeds and Diseases (EEPL) Implementation Plan and will collaborate and partner with community, environmental and industry groups to ensure delivery of the work identified in the plan. The EEPL identifies species that are a significant environmental biosecurity risk to Australia and allows the development of national approaches to coordinate risk reduction.
The committee discussed developing a national desktop exercise for Didymosphenia geminate management. The committee also endorsed:
- The direction of the draft Australia’s Rabbit Biocontrol Pipeline Strategy: Phase 4, 2022-27 and agreed to provide feedback to the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions.
- 25 national non-indigenous vertebrate risk assessments and their corresponding threat categories. The Australian List of Threat Categories of Non-indigenous Vertebrates List will be updated on the PestSmart website.
- The draft National Feral Deer Action Plan for public consultation.
- The new National Environment and Community Biosecurity RD&E Strategy 2021-2026 and agreed to fund an implementation national coordinator.
The committee acknowledged progress to develop a suite of national plant biosecurity strategies and noted that a National Plant Biosecurity Strategy Implementation Group will be established to oversee implementation of the strategies.
The Committee will next meet in early 2022.
For any questions regarding this communiqué, please email the EIC Secretariat at eic@aff.gov.au.
The Environment and Invasives Committee is responsible for providing national policy leadership on the identification, prevention and management of invasive plant, vertebrate and invertebrate species that adversely impact the environment, economy and community.
The Committee provides a national mechanism for identification and resolution of national priorities on freshwater aquatic and terrestrial invasive species and any other species where there is an environmental or community biosecurity impact where it is found not to be the responsibility of any other sectoral committee.
For more information, visit the Environment and Invasives Committee’s website, hosted by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.