Relevance of invasive species information management tools for policy development and effective management Judy Fisher

Biodiversity Information Community for Invasive Species Who should/could be the users of Information Tools? Policy Developers / Politicians Governments Funders of Invasive Species management Scientists Restoration Ecologists Biodiversity land managers Community land managers

Why do we need Biodiversity Information Tools for Invasive Species ? Transformation of ecosystems through invasion is seen as one of the major threats to the world’s biodiversity (Millenium Ecosystem Assessment 2005) Invaders threaten biodiversity to the same degree as: human transformation of ecosystems and production of green house gases (Sala et al 2000) 2010 Global international biodiversity targets aim to achieve a significant reduction in the rate of loss of biodiversity. Instrumental to this is the prevention, control and eradication of invasive species (Convention on Biological Diversity 2003)

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) “…tackling the drivers of biodiversity loss in an integrated manner is much more likely to achieve the 2010 targets than tackling them independently” What are the implications for data provision through Information Management Tools to assist an integrated approach to tackle the invasive species driver? Case Study Biodiversity Hot Spot

Causes and consequences of invasion in a Biodiversity Hotspot: Implications for Information Management Tools

The hypothesis: Invasion of Banksia woodland by the introduced species Ehrharta calycina and Pelargonium capitatum is accompanied by an alteration in ecosystem properties and processes (CONSEQUENCES) whereby the degree of change is related to fire frequency and abundance of introduced species (CAUSES)

Banksia woodland Complex species–rich natural ecosystem major vegetation type of SW Aust coastal sandplain 15 to 90 km inland 400 kms along the coast

Banksia attenuata Banksia menziesii Banksia woodland 6-8 metre

scattered Eucalyptus gomphocephala 30 metres diverse shrub under- storey

ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH Banksia Woodland Soil seedbank Soil compaction, moisture Vegetation cover Soil nutrients Leaf nutrients Disturbance history Invertebrates Environmental factors Good condition Medium condition Ehrharta calycina Pelargonium capitatum

Vegetation Cover Summary- analysed data Soil seed bank seeds/m -2 Summary - analysed data

Summary of native seed bank data, more detailed information than in summarised analysed data in previous seed bank graph

Mean P(Total) (mg kg-1) in the soil (5cm) beneath native and introduced species in different vegetation conditions in Banksia woodland, Bold Park Soil one component of summarised/analysed soil data, 60 samples x 8 variables tested, 3 conditions x 2

Leaf data Graph one nutrient Phosphorus 10 species x 4 replicates, 3 conditions x 2 replicates, 9 nutrients = 240 sets of data

CAUSES

Statistical significance of the effect of number of fire events ( ) on vegetation variables in Banksia woodland, southwestern Australia. SourcedfVeg.CoverRichnessDiversity of variation Cond.TotalNativeIntro.TotalNativeIntro.TotalNativeIntro. Fire Events * * * * * Residual5 Total7 Various plots (scatter, histograms, and normal probability) of the residuals were examined to ensure assumptions were met Fire Frequency

Relationship between number of fire events and canopy change Canopy and Fire Frequency

Shade Light

Solutions

How do we utilise invasion mechanisms FIRE and SEED BANK to achieve clever and sustainable management interventions?

Soil seed bank Germinants by depth Timing of germination

Study Conclusion Understanding causes and consequences of invasion provides opportunities for creative management to mitigate past and adapt to future disturbance

Consequences Limited native soil seed bank Very large invasive seed bank Altered vegetation structure and composition Increased soil and leaf phosphorus Reduced canopy Increased light Less shade PLUS Altered climatic conditions Increased temperature Less rainfall Biodiversity / Invasive Species Information Management Tools can tell us which species are most likely to survive in the new ecosystem conditions created by frequent fire and invasion ?

Utilise species adapted to new conditions

Potential assisted migration

Example Invasive Species Scientist C M D’Antonio (California) Visited Perth-invasion of Ehrharta calycina California (Fire) How to manage the transformer, fire enhancing species ? Had knowledge from Western Australian research been available through an Invasive/ Biodiversity Information Tool Rapid knowledge access providing Invasive Species Solutions Prevent very slow re invention of the wheel Reduce the loss of Biodiversity due to Invasive Species

As a potential user of an integrated Biodiversity/ Invasive Species Information Tool, in addition to scientific knowledge for adaptive management, I would like the tool to help me: Convince decision makers that Biodiversity is valuable and essential to our future Convince decision makers that biodiversity must be maintained Convince decision makers that invasive species have a detrimental impact on our biodiversity Convince decision makers there is an economic advantage to investing in restoration to ensure biodiverse systems dominate invasive species

And then when we have persuaded the decision makers I want to ensure the economic investment in maintaining, protecting and restoring our biodiversity is effective and leads to reduced loss of biodiversity due to invasion TOOL

When developing standards lets consider how the data bases can most effectively maintain and reduce biodiversity loss We don’t have forever to halt the loss of biodiversity Change is occurring in an increasingly rapid rate To slow the loss of diversity we need as much global information as possible NOW The world’s economic decline may provide unforseen opportunities to better manage and maintain our biodiversity Without active up to date tools we may miss this window of opportunity and lose our biodiversity before the tools are ready to help us tackle their loss

Overall Aim of the Tool Halt the Loss of Biodiversity Lets hope we do not loose too much Biodiversity while we are developing the tools

Acknowledgements: Research utilized in this talk was conducted whilst a doctoral student with the School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia with support from the Perth Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority Judy Fisher Fisher Research Pty Ltd PO Box 169 Floreat Perth Western Australia 6014