Invasive species

Many exotic animals and plants become invasive species if they manage to establish populations in new areas. The ways in which these pests are introduced vary widely, but they are often the result of accidental or deliberate human activities.

Whatever their means of arrival, invasive species can have an adverse and often very damaging impact on agriculture, the natural environment and our lifestyle.

The Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia's (DAFWA) Invasive Species Program provides leadership for strategic and operational management of serious weeds and pest animals that pose a threat to agriculture, related environmental resources, and market accessibility for agricultural produce in Western Australia (WA).

DAFWA's Plant Biosecurity Program provides leadership for strategic and operational management of serious diseases and pests of plants that pose a threat to agriculture and market accessibility for agricultural produce in WA.

Articles

  • Polyphagous shot-hole borer (PSHB) Euwallacea fornicatus is a beetle native to Southeast Asia. The beetle attacks a wide range of plants by tunnelling into trunks, stems and branches.

  • Be on the lookout for the polyphagous shot-hole borer

  • Early identification of important invasive and native problematic ants within Western Australia is critical to achieving successful control and preventing invasive ant species from gaining a footho

  • Red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, is one of the most serious ant pests in the world and was found to be established in Brisbane, Queensland, in 2001.

  • The European wasp is considered one of the worst wasps in the world - harmful to people, our outdoor lifestyle and to our horticultural and agricultural industries.

  • European house borer (EHB) Hylotrupes bajulus is a destructive pest of seasoned coniferous timber including pine, fir and spruce.

  • The Australian plague locust is a declared pest under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007.

  • This article describes the main distinguishing features between Australian plague locusts (Chortoicetes terminifera) and other common grasshoppers/locusts.

  • The Boosting Biosecurity Defences program is a collection of projects and activities that aim to increase Western Australia's capability to prepare for and respond to biosecurity issues affecting W