Pests, pathogens and pandemics: Australia's biosecurity needs an overhaul, CSIRO warns
Written by Graham Readfearn
Covid-19 crisis offers ‘unique opportunity to make transformational changes’
Australia’s biosecurity needs a major overhaul within a decade to protect people, environments and industries from a wave of invasive pests, pathogens and future pandemics, a CSIRO report has found.
Interceptions of materials that were a biosecurity risk – such as insects, soils and plants – rose by 50% between 2012 and 2017, the report says, and new invasive weeds are establishing themselves every few weeks.
Related: Early warning: human detectors, drones and the race to control Australia’s extreme blazes
Urbanisation is making it easier for pests and diseases to move around, and for problems to spread.
Climate change is making it easier for pests and diseases to reach new areas and makes native species more susceptible to invasive species.
Biodiversity loss is making natural environments less resilient, with invasive pests identified in 15 of 21 key threatening processes.
Related: ‘It can be smelly at times’: NSW wastewater provides a treasure trove for Covid-19 hunters
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