Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2009L02536:reg:3:p1
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2009L02536
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 3 (pt 1/8)
Character Range: 11980–14998

3                        Threat abatement

3.1                   Goal
The goal of this Threat Abatement Plan is to eliminate, or reduce to an acceptable level, the current and potential impacts of exotic rodents on offshore Australian islands, in order to maximise the chances of the long-term survival in nature of affected native species and ecological communities.

Successful eradication of exotic rodents on islands will also open opportunities for the natural return of some extirpated native species such as seabirds, for active restoration programs, or for the possibility of using some islands as biodiversity arks for species threatened on the mainland.

3.2                   Objectives
The plan has three objectives, each of which requires different emphases for supporting information, research and stakeholder involvement and thus for actions.

The objectives are to:
    * eradicate exotic rodents from high-priority islands
    * mitigate the impacts of exotic rodents on biodiversity values on high-priority islands where they cannot be eradicated, and
    * prevent the invasion of islands currently free of exotic rodents.

3.3                   Actions
The following actions are proposed under the plan. They are in part sequential although different jurisdictions will be at different points along the process, and so the judgement about their relative priorities may vary between jurisdictions.

The first set of actions aims to provide better information on the conservation status of islands as these are affected by exotic rodents. The next two sets of actions prescribe alternative strategies (eradication or sustained control) that can be used to manage islands with exotic rodents. The fourth set of actions prescribes how to stop the problem getting worse and how to defend islands from which exotic rodents have been eradicated. The next set of actions introduces the social and cultural needs of islanders and other stakeholders to ensure they support actions to control rodents, benefit from them, and participate in ongoing management such as quarantine and surveillance. Finally, the actions identify the priority needs for research and information.

Priorities are ranked very high, high or medium within each set of actions and indicate when each should start.  The timeframes give an initial indication on how long each action might take to achieve.  Generally, a short timeframe indicates a 1 – 3 year action, a medium timeframe up to 5 years,  a long timeframe indicates an ongoing effort but with a definite end point, and an ongoing timeframe has no endpoint but requires investment in perpetuity.  Clearly decisions around the priority score and timeframe are interactive, the sets of actions are interdependent, and the final sequence, duration and length of actions will depend on budgets.

3.3.1             Actions to set priorities and plan strategic options
This group of actions covers the preliminary information needs and actions required to establish a basis for