A Review and Evaluation of the:
2001 National Threat Abatement Plan
for Dieback Caused by the Root-Rot
Fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi
JUNE 2006
The review and evaluation of the 2001 national ‘ThreatAbatement Plan for Dieback Caused by the Root-RotFungus Phytophthora cinnamomi’ was commissioned bythe Australian Government Department of theEnvironment and Heritage as a precursor to a revision ofthe goals, objectives and actions of the Plan [CPSM(2006) National Threat Abatement Plan for Disease inNatural Ecosystems Caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi:Goals, Objectives and Actions (Draft)].
How to cite this document:
CPSM (2006) Review and Evaluation of the 2001 NationalThreat Abatement Plan for Dieback Caused by the Root-Rot Fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi.Prepared by theCentre for Phytophthora Science and Management for theAustralian Government Department of the Environmentand Heritage.
CPSM
Centre for Phytophthora Science and Management
School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology
Murdoch University
South Street
Murdoch Western Australia 6150
Department of the Environment and Heritage
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601
Front Cover Photo: E.O’Gara, CPSM
Authors: K Howard, E O’Gara, GEStJ Hardy; CPSM
CONTENTS
ABBREVIATIONS4
1 INTRODUCTION 5
2 REVIEW OF IMPLEMENTATION OF NTAP FOR DIEBACK CAUSED BY
PHYTOPHTHORA CINNAMOMI 6
2.1 National implementation 7
2.2 Implementation in Western Australia 8
2.3 Implementation in South Australia8
2.4 Implementation in Tasmania 8
2.5 Implementation in Victoria 8
2.6 Implementation in New South Wales 8
2.7 Implementation in Queensland 9
3 EVALUATION OF THE P. CINNAMOMI NTAP 32
4 FUNDING 35
5 REVISION OF THE NTAP 38
6 CONCLUSION 39
7 REFERENCES 40
APPENDIX I List of Stakeholders 44
ABBREVIATIONS
ARC Australian Research Council
CALM Department of Conservation and Land Management, Western Australia
CPSM Centre for Phytophthora Science & Management, Murdoch University, WA
DCC Dieback Consultative Council of Western Australia
DEC Department of Environment and Conservation, NSW
DEH Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage
DEHSA Department of the Environment and Heritage, South Australia
DPI Depart of Primary Industries, Victoria
DPIWEDepartment of Primary Industries, Water and Environment, Tasmania
DRF Dieback Response Framework
DRG Dieback Response Group
DSE Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria
DWG Dieback Working Group
EPBC Act Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999
HRZ Hazard Risk Zone
NAPSWQ National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality
NHT-RCC National Heritage Trust – Regional Competitive Component
NIASA Nursery Industry Accreditation Scheme Australia
NP National Park
NPWSNational Parks and Wildlife Service, NSW
NPWSA National Parks and Wildlife, South Australia
NRM Natural Resource Management
NTAP National Threat Abatement Plan
PTG Phytophthora Technical Group
RBG Royal Botanic Gardens (Sydney)
SCRIPT South Coast Regional Initiative Planning Team
SHFT Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
SoEState of Environment
SOP Standard Operating Procedure
TAFE College of Technical and Further Education
TAPIT Threat Abatement Plan Implementation Team
The Trust National Heritage Trust
WTMA Wet Tropics Management Authority, Queensland
WTWHA Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, Queensland
WWF World Wildlife Fund
1 INTRODUCTION
Australia’s long history of geographic isolation has resulted in the evolution of plants andanimals with a high level of endemicity. Habitat modification and introduced species are thetwo main contributors to the decline of biodiversity in Australia, contributing to a poor recordof species conservation. Half of worldwide mammal extinctions in the past 200 years haveoccurred in Australia1.
Australia’s native plants and ecological communities are threatened by the soil-borne plantpathogen, Phytophthora cinnamomi, for which it is estimated over 2000 plant species areknown hosts2. P. cinnamomiis present in all states and territories of Australia where itcauses disease in an extremely diverse range of native, ornamental, forestry and horticulturalplants. Described as a ‘biological bulldozer’, P. cinnamomiis destroying bushlands,heathlands, woodlands and forests, which are the habitat for rare and endangered flora andfauna species3. There are no known methods for eradication of areas infested with P.cinnamomi.
The threat P. cinnamomiposes to Australia’s biodiversity led to its listing under theEnvironment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) as a keythreatening process. Under the provisions of the Act a National Threat Abatement Plan forDieback Caused by the Root-Rot Fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi’ was prepared andreleased in 20014. The broad goals of the National Threat Abatement Plan (NTAP) were to:
- protect endangered or vulnerable native species and communities from P.cinnamomiand;
- prevent further species and communities becoming endangered by reducing thechance of exposure to the pathogen.
The goals of the NTAP were to be pursued through achieving the following five objectives:
(i) Promote recovery: To promote recovery of threatened species and ecologicalcommunities that are known or perceived to be threatened by P. cinnamomi.
(ii) Limit spread: To limit the spread of P. cinnamomiinto areas where it may threatenspecies and ecological communities or into areas where it may lead to further species orecological communities becoming threatened.
(iii) Improve management: To improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the managementof P. cinnamomithrough appropriate research and monitoring programs.
(iv)Inform stakeholders: To inform Commonwealth, state and territory managementagencies, landholders and the public about the Threat Abatement Plan’s actions andoutcomes.
(v) Coordinate management: To effectively coordinate management activities.
This report reviews the implementation of the NTAP in the period 2001 to 2005 andevaluates the outcomes for management of P. cinnamomiin natural ecosystems of Australia.
2 REVIEW OF IMPLEMENTATION OF NTAPFOR DIEBACK CAUSED BY PHYTOPHTHORACINNAMOMI
The implementation of the NTAP was reviewed by examining the available documents,literature and websites, and by direct consultation with stakeholders.
The Threat Abatement Plan for P. cinnamomi
The Threat Abatement Plan’s focus on strategic approaches to reduce the impacts of keythreatening processes that jeopardise the long-term survival of native species and ecologicalcommunities. Under the EPBC Act, the role of the Australian Federal Government is toimplement the Plan as it applies to Commonwealth areas, and seek the co-operation of thestates, territories and other stakeholders to implement the Plan as it applies to them.However, the Senate Committee on the Environment, Communications, InformationTechnology and the Arts Inquiry (2004)4reported that whilst NTAPs are statutory, they havelimited application to Australian Government land and for lands of other tenure. The stateand territory cooperation needed is currently limited by a lack of planning between the statesand the community.
The Federal Government also supports the national effort by implementing key national levelactions in the Plan, usually in partnership with other stakeholders. The NTAP for P.cinnamomiwas launched without timelines or an indicative budget, and without responsibleparties clearly identified. The objectives are not easily measurable and are written in such away that it is difficult to determine if they were achieved or not.
The Department of Environment and Heritage (DEH) recognised that success will only comeif all parties that are impacted by this pathogen co-operate in the implementation of the Plan5.The key national level actions that were identified as the responsibility of the CommonwealthGovernment in the NTAP for P. cinnamomiare listed under objective 5 were:
- to make funds available through the Endangered Species Program to support thefurther development of regional management programs
- where possible, integrate management on private and public lands with otherregional biodiversity conservation measures through the development of regionalpartnerships
- convene a P. cinnamomiNTAP Implementation Team (TAPIT) to advise theCommonwealth Environment Minister on implementation of NTAP. The TAPITwould:
monitor the implementation of the Plan including reviewing the actionsand broad priorities for funding, and highlighting gaps
report annually to the Commonwealth Minister for the Environment
ensure that clear lines of communication are established that promoteand manage best practice in on-ground actions, the TAPIT will establishclear link with state-based P. cinnamomiThreat Abatement Teams (ortheir equivalent) and with relevant regional and local bodies which areresponsible for management of P. cinnamomi
commission an independent review to evaluate progress made in thePlan’s implementation before the term of the Plan expires
develop State of the Environment reporting indicators
oversee the development of a uniform preamble to the guidelines for useby all relevant industries and parties committed to developing codes ofpractice.
National implementation
The focus of funding projects from NTAP funds has changed since the Plan was released in2001. Initially, stakeholders were able to submit proposals for funding for specific on-groundmanagement projects, then priorities changed and DEH determined they would tender forprojects that had national benefit and answered specific actions of the NTAP. Integrateddelivery of the National Heritage Trust (the Trust) and National Action Plan for Salinity andWater Quality (NAPSWQ) funds are now driven by strategic and investment plans developedby 56 individual Natural Resources Management (NRM) Regions that cover Australia6.
The biggest hindrance to the implementation of the NTAP for P. cinnamomiwas that theTAPIT was not established. This was listed as the first milestone/performance indictor ofStage 1 of the Plan and impacted on all actions of Objective 5.
National Projects
Whilst not meeting the targets of the Stage 1 Milestone a few national projects haveaddressed specific Actions in the Plan. The national projects that have received Federalfunding are;
- The P. cinnamomiAdvisory Committee was appointed by the AustralianGovernment DEH in 2004 to assist with identification of projects of national priorityfor funding and, to help develop tenders for projects funded in 2004/2005 (part ofStage 1 Milestone).
- The 2004/2005 Australian Government DEH project ”Management of Phytophthoracinnamomifor Biodiversity Conservation in Australia” addressed Actions ofObjective 2 and produced; A Review of Current Management7, The National BestPractice Guidelines8, Assessment for Threats to Ecosystems, Species andCommunities: A Review9and, Risk Assessment Models10.
- Evaluation and review (this project), and revision of 2001 NTAP for P. cinnamomi.
One action of the Stage 1 Milestone for Strategic Planning and Priority Setting in the 2001NTAP for P. cinnamomirequires the states and territories to develop regional strategic plans.The status of strategic and operational Plans and the support provided by stakeholders foreach state is shown in Table 1. There are many projects, new and ongoing, which have notbeen directly funded to implement the Plan but do address specific actions of the Plan.
These are presented on a state-by-state basis.
Table 1: Strategic and Operational Plans for P. cinnamomimanagement in Australian states
State / Disease status / Strategic plan / Operational plans / Stakeholders involvementWA / Widespread / Yes, in action / Establishedbut largelyuntested / Considerable number ofstakeholders involved
SA / Localised / Using NTAP / Minor engagement ofstakeholders
TAS / Widespread / Using NTAP / In use for manyyears / Major stakeholders areengaged
VIC / Yes, in Draft
form
NSW / Disease is cryptic / No Plan / No Plan / Few non governmentstakeholders
QLD / Disease iscryptic, impact islocalised / No Plan / Locallydeveloped Plan(WTMA) / Few non governmentstakeholders
2.1 Implementation in Western Australia
State and national priorities for P. cinnamomimanagement have natural overlap so thatactions undertaken in WA have addressed some of the actions of the NTAP (Table 2).
Since the state Government initiated Dieback Response Framework (DRF) was developed in2004 key strategies have been implemented including the development of a dieback atlas,management guidelines for use on all land tenures and a whole-of-government policy ondieback management. A Biodiversity Conservation Strategy is currently being drafted and astate communication strategy was released in 2005.
2.2 Implementation in South Australia
In SA, all projects have been funded by the Trust (Table 3). This includes 5 projects onstopping the spread and reducing impact of P. cinnamomiby effective management,particularly in Mount Lofty Ranges. In addition, the Federal Government provides 50% offunding for the position of DEHSA’s Plant Dieback Ecologist. There has been a large focuson raising awareness through education and extension.
2.3 Implementation in Tasmania
P. cinnamomiis regarded as one of the primary plant disease problems in Tasmanianreserves10. In line with the NTAP, Tasmania takes a regional approach to strategic planningfor P. cinnamomimanagement. This approach was developed primarily for lands managedby Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service or Forestry Tasmania, and is based on theoccurrence of national or state listed susceptible species and highly susceptiblecommunities12. Rather than develop their own Threat Abatement Plan, Tasmania directlyutilises the NTAP to implement projects (Table 4) and risk assessments have beenundertaken for selected priority areas11. P. cinnamomihygiene prescriptions are includedwithin codes of practice and environmental management systems within industry inTasmania.
2.4 Implementation in Victoria
The Trust funded Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) Strategic Plan Draftfor P. cinnamomimanagement in Victoria (2001-2005) will provide a 3-year program forcross-tenure actions to curb the spread of P. cinnamomiand identify significant vulnerableareas of the state or territory for protection from infestation. A Dieback Steering Committeewas formed to provide guidance to DSE in the development of the Strategic Plan. Thestrategy for curbing the spread includes the formulation and promotion of best practicemanagement of P. cinnamomiin plant nurseries and other industries that have the potentialto spread infested soil and water13. Parks Victoria commissioned the “Assessment ofGuidelines for best Practice Management of P. cinnamomiin Parks and reserves acrossVictoria” completed in 2002. Currently there is research underway at Deakin University todevelop methods to exploit the mechanisms of natural resistance to P. cinnamomi.
Other projects that are not directly attributed to the 2001 NTAP are listed in Table 5.
2.5 Implementation in New South Wales
P. cinnamomimanagement is undertaken in New South Wales by the Department ofEnvironment and Conservation (which incorporates the Royal Botanic Gardens & DomainTrust and National Parks and Wildlife Service) and some local councils in the Sydneymetropolitan area. While most of the vegetation of eastern NSW and the ACT has beenclassified and mapped in relation to vulnerability to P. cinnamomi, there are few othermanagement projects active in NSW (Table 6). Concern of this lack of action is voiced by asmall group of stakeholders. The recent discovery that a wild population of the Wollemi Pineappears to be affected by P. cinnamomimay raise the profile of the pathogen in NSW.
2.6 Implementation in Queensland
The localised nature of P. cinnamomilimits the number of projects or actions for P.cinnamomimanagement. Driven by the Wet Tropics Management Authority (WTMA), anongoing program of research has lead to the development of draft operational guidelines forworks within the identified high-risk zones of the Area14, which is based upon themanagement guidelines developed by the WA Dieback Working Group (DWG)15guidelines.No formal measures currently exist that trigger the implementation of these hygieneguidelines. However, operational works can only be undertaken under a Wet Tropics Permit,issued by WTMA. A Best Practice Manual “Guide to Monitoring Phytophthora-relateddieback in the Wet Tropics of North Queensland” was produced16through the Rainforest CooperativeResearch Centre.
The state government is concentrating its P. cinnamomimanagement efforts inKoombooloomba, Mount Lewis and all high mountain environments used for bushwalking,using the management principles of the 2001 NTAP17. Virulent outbreaks of patch death arerelatively small and localised and the identification of boundaries between infected areas andthose free of infection are problematic.
2.7 Implementation on Commonwealth Land
Management of P. cinnamomion Commonwealth land has been carried out by the SydneyHarbour Federation Trust (SHFT) and by the Department of Defence in the Jervis Bay areasouth of Sydney (Table 7). The policy and objectives of the pro-active SHFT group state thatP. cinnamomiwill be managed according to the recommendations of the NTAP
1
Table 2: Projects and actions carried out in Western Australia in relation to the NTAP for the management of Phytophthora cinnamomi. Those thatare highlighted in grey are those projects or actions that are attributed directly to the 2001 NTAP.
Objective / Actions Western Australia Projects and actions 2001-2006Objective 1: To promote the recovery of threatened species and ecological communities that are known or perceived to be threatened by P. cinnamomi.
a Develop and implement local management initiatives for ecologicalcommunities and threatened species where the disease is a known threat.Initiatives might consist of direct treatment with protective chemicals, vectorcontrolstrategies, education etc.
b Develop or implement experimental management programs in areas of critical habitat for species or ecological communities perceived to be threatened by the disease
c Determine the seriousness of the threat and the level of management
necessary to secure recovery
d Based on the Recovery Plan (EPBC Act) identify which species should beconserved ex situ. Develop a plan that indicates which organisation will takeresponsibility for this work, how it will be achieved and how the results andoriginal material will be used.
e Develop and use approaches including incentives to promote managementon private and leasehold lands that contain or are adjacent to populations ofthreatened species or ecological communities threatened by P. cinnamomi.
f Develop and implement an agreed national method for rankingregions/projects for the allocation of resources to protect and facilitate theexpansion of existing populations of threatened species and ecologicalcommunities.
g Develop decision-support systems to help land managers decide on locally
appropriate management methods and when to apply them. / For the Action Plan for Fitzgerald River National Park management options wereprioritised in 2004 for the 225ha Bell Track infestation. The disease front isencroaching on highly endemic flora and the habitat of a number of endangered andcritically endangered fauna. To date action has included the restriction of humanaccess; the realignment of a vehicle track; surface water diversions, and watererosion controls have been installed.
SCRIPT are developing plans for the management of P. cinnamomiin areas that haveregional and community significance.
During 2005-2008 SCRIPT will undertake risk assessments on significant disease-freeareas with ecological and community significance, and this will be extended to fourother Regions vulnerable to P. cinnamomi(Avon Catchment Council, South-WestCatchment Council, Swan Catchment Council and Northern Agricultural CatchmentsCouncil).