Status: Completed
Start date: 1 April 2018
Completion date: 30 June 2022
Project code: P01-I-005
Species: Multiple
Download project report (PDF, 2.88 MB)
Eradicating pests early in an invasion takes intensive investment, but can offer high potential returns. This project aimed to improve agencies’ abilities to make successful, cost-effective and evidence-based eradication decisions.
The project team created an eradication response framework to help managers decide how to proceed, when to stop and when to declare success. The work analysed, framed, then developed online tools for the three stages:
The objectives of this project were:
Prototype web-based decision tools for guiding decisions around pest eradications have been completed. Three tools are in Beta testing and are currently available for conducting, initial assessments, progress towards eradication and assessing proof of absence.
Significant progress has also been made on an additional web-based app for assessing the feasibility and cost of eradication. Users input potential scenarios representing different eradication strategies and the app calculates their likelihood for effecting eradication and the likely cost.
The project has developed a prototype web-based tool to undertake “proof-of-absence” confirmation of eradication success. It was road-tested using data provided by New Zealand project partners and a working version should be ready by late 2020. The project also provided technical advice to Biosecurity Qld regarding the Red imported fire ant program, with prototype software used to provide an estimate of optimal amount of ant surveillance required to declare freedom in management zones.
A prototype web-based interface to undertake “proof-of-absence” confirmation of eradication success has been road-tested at a workshop, using data provided by biosecurity managers. The workshop provided valuable feedback for future workshops and improvements for the tool.
The project leader continues to provide technical advice to Biosecurity Queensland and the red imported fire ant (RIFA) program around surveillance and the feasibility of eradication. Prototype software was developed to provide an estimate of optimal amount of ant surveillance required to declare freedom in management zones.
Data analysis of case studies of both vertebrate and invertebrate species is almost complete. This provides enough context to begin development of a prototype software package, which the project aims to have completed in the next 6 months. The software will then be road-tested in a further series of workshops.
A workshop held in April 2019 substantially advanced the theoretical framework underpinning eradication tools.
The project team has also provided expert advice and analysis to stakeholder groups conducting pest eradication programs nationally and internationally. Biosecurity QLD was engaged to provide advice and technical analyses around the eradication of Red-imported fire ants in the greater Brisbane area.
Development of a user-friendly web-based software interface to undertake “proof of absence” confirmation during the final phase of pest eradication programs is underway. It will be road tested with stakeholders through a series of workshops in the coming year, with the first scheduled for October 2019 in Christchurch, New Zealand. The user-friendly graphical interface will enable stakeholders to analyse their own surveillance data. The prototype of this model will be available for users to upload their data, specify appropriate parameters and run the model.
The project team have started engaging with stakeholders to obtain data on current or recently completed eradications.
They have also commenced initial development of software tools which will be developed over the next 18 months.
Anderson DP, Pepper MA, Travers S et al (2022) Confirming the broadscale eradication success of nutria (Myocastor coypus) from the Delmarva Peninsula, USA Biol Invasions 24, 3509–3521. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10530-022-02855-x
Barnes B, Giannini F, Parsa M and Ramsey D (2021) Inferring species absence from zero-sighting records using analytical Bayesian models with population growth Methods in Ecology and Evolution 12(11), 2208-2220. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13697
Barnes B, Parsa M, Giannini F and Ramsey D (2022) Analytical Bayesian models to quantify pest eradication success or species absence using zero-sighting records Theoretical Population Biology 144, 70-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tpb.2021.10.001
Dean P, Anderson I, Rouco C, Latham MC and Warburton B (2022) Data and code for understanding spatially explicit capture-recapture parameters for informing invasive animal management available at the Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research Datastore. https://doi.org/10.7931/0kpk-ba78
Gormley, AM, Anderson DP, Lustig, A, Latham CM, Howard, S, Scroggie, M and Ramsey DSL (2021) Quantitative Decision Support for Eradication: A Primer. A report for the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, Canberra, Australia. https://invasives.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/QuantitativeDecisionAnalysisPrimer_web.pdf
Ramsey DSL, Campbell KJ, Lavoie C, Macdonald N and Morrison SA (2022) Quantifying the probability of detection of wild ungulates with the Judas technique Conservation Biology 36(4). https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13898
Ramsey et al (2022) Maximising the success of pest eradication programs using decision support tools poster https://invasives.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Eradication_Tools_poster_v1_-2022-04-22_-with-DAWE-logo.pdf
