Poster Presentation Science Protecting Plant Health 2017

Plant pest impacts: a common set of metrics (#128)

Kylie B Ireland 1 2 , Rieks van Klinken 1 3 , David C Cook 1 4 5 , David Logan 1 6 , Lisa Jamieson 1 6 , Joy Tyson 1 6 , Philip E Hulme 1 7 , Susan Warner 1 7 , Eckehard Brockerhoff 8 , John Fletcher 1 9 , Brendan Rodoni 1 10 11 , Mandy Christopher 1 12 , Victoria A Ludowici 13 , Lindsay Bulman 8 , David Teulon 1 9 14 , Mike Hodda 1 2 , Dean Paini 1 2
  1. Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre, Canberra, ACT, Australia
  2. CSIRO, Black Mountain, ACT, Australia
  3. CSIRO, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  4. Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia, Bunbury, Western Australia
  5. School of Agricultural and Resource Economics, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
  6. The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Auckland, New Zealand
  7. The Bio-Protection Research Centre, Lincoln, New Zealand
  8. Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute), Christchurch, New Zealand
  9. The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited, Christchurch, New Zealand
  10. AgriBio, Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, Melbourne, Australia
  11. Department of Animal, Plant and Soil Sciences, AgriBio, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  12. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Queensland, Leslie Research Facility, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
  13. Plant Health Australia, Canberra, ACT, Australia
  14. Better Border Biosecurity (B3), Christchurch, New Zealand

Agricultural stakeholders are in need of a common set of metrics to evaluate plant pests. We propose a classification system that articulates, defines and classifies the impacts of pest species (alien and native) in plant production systems. Criteria were defined by magnitude of impact (historical, current or potential), with a focus on production specific metrics. Metrics were identified and criteria defined through consideration of economic assessment parameters, risk assessment guidance tools, discussions with pest risk assessment practitioners and recent advances in environmental impact classification schemes. Twenty metrics were identified. Host crop value, market access, feasibility of management and reversibility were identified as disruptor metrics, likely to influence overall classification by at least twice that of other metrics. Utility of the metric system is explored through application to Australian and New Zealand plant pests. The system has been designed to facilitate transparency, flexibility (in development and application) and harmonisation of pest management and prioritisation across spatial scales and jurisdictions.