Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2021L00219:body:0:p17
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2021L00219
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 48616–51806

•      African olive (Olea europaea africana)
           •      Hawaiian holly (Schinus terebinthifolius)
           •      lantana (Lantana camara)
           •      William Taylor (Ageratina riparia)
           •      kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum)
           •      wild tobacco (Solanum mauritianum)
           •      Formosan lily (Lilium formosanum)

           •      morning glory (Ipomoea cairica and I. indica)
           •      Madeira vine (Anredera cordifoliai)
           •      coral berry (Rivina humilis)

         Weeds suppress or eliminate native plants and the animals that depend upon them.

         They can alter habitat structure as well as the species composition of ecological communities. The impact of changes in vegetation and weed infestation on animals can include the loss of food resources and availability of nesting hollows.

         Woody weeds (guava, African olive and Hawaiian holly) have dominated significant areas of the park for many years. They have been a priority for control in many areas of the park, with landscape rehabilitation required following removal.

Invasive vertebrates

         Feral animals pose major threats to the native species of Norfolk Island. Major predators include the black rat (Rattus rattus), Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans), house cat (Felis catus) and feral fowl (Gallus gallus). They are a major threat to listed threatened species under the EPBC Act. None are present on Phillip Island.

         The introduced Asian house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) has been recorded at three sites on Norfolk Island and is implicated in the decline of some native gecko species in               other parts of its range. The Asian House Gecko is currently absent from Phillip Island .6              but has the potential to severely impact upon the island's reptile population should it be introduced. Strong biosecurity measures are important between Norfolk Island and Phillip Island to avoid accidental introduction of such threats.

         Predation by rodents

         Rodents eat birds, bird eggs, nestlings, reptiles, invertebrates (including land snails) and fruit, seeds and flowers. The Polynesian rat was probably introduced about 800 years ago by Polynesian explorers. The black rat was introduced later, possibly as late as 1943, and is considered to be the most destructive predator on Norfolk Island today. Park management has implemented an extensive rat control program since 1992. In March 2006 predation by exotic rats on Australian offshore islands of less than 1,000 square kilometres (100,000 hectares) was listed as a key threatening process under the EBPC Act.

         Predation by feral cats

         Feral cats (Felis catus) eat birds, nestlings and reptiles. They are a major threat to several listed species and many other native species. The Norfolk Island green parrot is listed in the Threat abatement plan for predation by feral cats (Environment Australia 1999) as one of the species for which feral cats are a known or suspected threat.

         Cats are controlled through trapping and removal. National priorities for cat control are defined in the Threat abatement plan for