ABSTRACTS
Brief summary of WWF's 'Cane Toads as a Key Threatening Process' nomination and the National Cane Toad Taskforce
Jarrad Holmes
Threatened Species Network - Northern Savannas Coordinator,
Tel: (08) 8941 7554,
Fax: (08) 8941 6494,
Email: jholmes@wwf.org.au
[TSN is a community-based program of the Australian Government's Natural Heritage Trust and WWF Australia]
In early 2004, WWF wrote and submitted a nomination to the Federal Government to have ‘ Predation, Competition and Lethal Toxic Ingestion Caused by Cane Toads’ recognised as a Key Threatening Process under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). This is the first step to addressing the impact of a particular threat under Australian law. A brief overview of this submission will be presented.
Also during 2004, a National Cane Toad Taskforce was established. The purpose of this taskforce is to develop and coordinate a national strategy to combat the deleterious impacts of the cane toad on Australia ’s biodiversity. This includes:
- Reviewing information available and information needs and gaps
- Recommending priorities for research on impacts, monitoring and control including assessment of costs and benefits
- Recommending management responses
- Promotion and coordination of research and management responses.
The taskforce recommendations will be reported to the Australian Government in April 2005. Jarrad Holmes sits on the National Cane Toad Taskforce as a representative for community conservation groups and will present a brief overview on the members, roles and functions of the taskforce.