Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2011L01416:body:0:p2
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2011L01416
Segment Type: other
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in eggs, decrease through tadpole life, are lowest at around the time of metamorphosis, and increase rapidly thereafter. It is difficult to tease apart the effects of cane toads from other threatening processes operating on native species and ecological communities (Shine 2009a). However, there is no scientific evidence that cane toads have caused species extinction. The direct pathway of lethal toxic ingestion of cane toads is the most important cane toad impact.

In 2005, the biological effect of the cane toad was listed as a key threatening process under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Threatened Species Scientific Committee 2005).

Since 1986, the Australian Government has directed at least $11 million dollars to development of a broad-scale means to control cane toads, without success. Community action to manually remove cane toads from the landscape has also been funded. Neither of these endeavours have prevented the continued spread of the pest or significantly limited its impact on Australia's biodiversity. Recognising that it is not currently possible to contain or eradicate cane toads across the nation, a new approach to dealing with their negative impacts is needed. This involves identifying and reducing impacts on key natural assets affected by cane toads, an approach that requires national coordination.

This threat abatement plan (TAP) provides a national strategy to guide investment and effort by the Australian Government, jurisdictions, research organisations and non-government organisations in abating the impacts of cane toads across their known and anticipated range. The TAP will be reviewed in five years.

Objectives for the threat abatement plan

This TAP has three objectives:
       * to identify priority native species and ecological communities (including those that are protected matters under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) at risk from the impact of cane toads
       * to reduce the impact of cane toads on populations of priority native species and ecological communities
       * to communicate information about cane toads, their impacts and this TAP.

Implementation of the threat abatement plan

This TAP will be implemented by the Australian Government in conjunction with a broad range of stakeholders. Note that timeframes listed in this TAP are; short term, 1–3 years; medium term, 3–5 years and long term, more than 5 years.

1. Introduction
This threat abatement plan (TAP) has been developed to address the listed key threatening process The biological effects, including lethal toxic ingestion, caused by Cane Toads (Bufo marinus) (see listing advice, Threatened Species Scientific Committee 2005) in a feasible, effective and efficient manner. The TAP binds the Australian Government and its agencies in Australia's response to the impact of cane toads and identifies the research, management and other actions needed to address the impacts of this