Assessing invasive plants in Australia 2007

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The title on the inside cover of this product is:

Assessing invasive weed species in Australia: the distribution of some major plants in Australia in 2007

Invasive plants or weeds may cause serious economic, social and environmental costs in many areas of Australia. Weed research and management are expensive, so investment in weed control requires information to ensure that attention is directed to areas of highest priority. Furthermore, the effectiveness of such investments in weed management needs to be assessed.

The National Land & Water Resources Audit, in consultation with all Australian government jurisdictions, has developed a nationally consistent method to identify the extent and current distribution of invasive plant species or weeds in Australia.

Guided by a technical working group of the Australian Weeds Committee (AWC), and working in partnership with all states, territories and the Australian Government, the National Land & Water Resources Audit (NLWRA) implemented the national weeds assessment by:

· identifying indicators that addressed weeds and weed management using nationally consistent methods and information, and

· developing state and national data sets for 98 weed species, mapping their extent and density at a scale of 1:100 000.

This report provides a national overview of the extent and density of selected major invasive plants based on both standardised classification criteria, and methodologies for aggregation and reporting across Australia. An improved baseline data set will further assist national, state and regional resource managers to make effective policy and management decisions for weed control.