Author
Philip E. Hulme
philip.hulme@lincoln.ac.nz
Bioprotection Aotearoa, Department of Pest-Management and Conservation, Lincoln University, NZ
Abstract
New Zealand is arguably the weediest archipelago in the world with both a greater number of alien plant invaders as well as larger proportion of the flora comprising introduced species than almost any other island nation on Earth. How did we get to this precarious situation and what are we doing about it? Despite our global reputation for world-class biosecurity and aspirational programmes such as Predator Free 2050, investment in the policy and management tools needed to address plant invaders has, by comparison, been inadequate. Using issues arising from ornamental plant invasions in New Zealand, several challenges are illustrated that address limitations arising from policy and research gaps as well as poor understanding of the social and market context. There are no silver bullets. The reliance on ever declining central and regional government funding to manage alien plants on public lands has led to piecemeal effort that show short term gains but in the longer term appear to have made little impact. Strategies that alternately focus on a handful of target alien plant species or specific sites of high value have not yielded positive outcomes. So, is there any light at the end of this weedy tunnel? Possibly, but only if we rethink our approach. This may mean abandoning some entrenched legacy problems to focus on emerging threats where intervention is still feasible. Innovative research must lead the way if we are to turn the tide on plant invasions in New Zealand.
keywords
community engagement
data sharing
e-commerce
forecasting
risk analysis
Highlights
Dwindling public funding requires a more targeted approach to managing plant invasions
Greater focus is needed on predicting future emerging weeds that are still not widespread
Essential to ensure the public understand the ecological and economic values that are at risk