» Environmental weeds

Environmental weeds of the Wet Tropics bioregion:
risk assessment and priority ranking
Garry Werren

Rainforest CRC scientists undertook an examination of alien plant species invasions of the Wet Tropics bioregion as part of a consultancy for the Wet Tropics Management Authority. The work included an inventory of existing weeds, prioritisation of potential environmental threats, categorisation into management categories and appropriate management actions. This report presents a review of risk assessment systems, a list of 504 species of alien plants, a preliminary ranking of 57 weed species and recommendations for further research.

» Vertebrate pests

Wet Tropics Vertebrate Pest Risk Assessment Scheme
Debra A. Harrison and Bradley C. Congdon


Rainforest CRC researchers undertook a consultancy for the Wet Tropics Management Authority to design a risk assessment process which would establish the relative pest status and potential impact of exotic vertebrates within the Wet Tropic Bioregion. This report outlines the Wet Tropics Vertebrate Pest Risk Assessment Scheme (WTVPRAS). The Scheme is an Excel-based spreadsheet program that assesses pest status relative to five generic pest species characteristics:

• previous pest history
• reproductive and dispersal potential
• ability to capitalise on variation in climate and/or biological events
• ability to vector disease or parasites
• ability to threaten existing species via predation, competition and/or
• habitat degradation