Invasive Species Management in Kakadu National park's Wetlands
To begin this topic, lets focus on a well known region in tropical Australia and consider the range of invasive species management issues the managers have to deal with.
Kakadu National Park has been described as the 'jewel in the crown' of Australia's national park system. It is recognised nationally and internationally for its cultural significance and its high conservation value. This World Heritage listed park cover 2 million ha and contains over one third of Australia's bird species, one quarter of Australia's terrestrial mammal species and more species of freshwater fish than any other region in the country. It also contains over 1,600 plant species including 70 species considered rare and endangered. By any measure it is a highly valuable and truly remarkable place.
Yet despite its large size, remote location and relatively intact environments, even Kakadu National Park is under threat from tropical invaders.
The number of weed species in the park has increased at a rate of 1.6 species per year since 1948 and is expected to continue increasing. Currently about 6% of the plants species in the Park (almost 100 species) are weeds. Although this is lower than the 10% recorded for Australia as a whole, it includes several species that pose significant threats to many of the Parks natural habitats. Kakadu also has 13 species of feral vertebrates, including cattle, pigs, horses, donkeys, buffalo, cats and cane toads, and several species of introduced invertebrates including the Honey-bee.
Explore the images of Kakadu's wetlands to find out more about a selection of the invasive species in this habitat. We will refer back to the examples in this case study so take some time to work through the invasive species in this habitat.
