National Pest Plant submissions Jan 2012

Recently we noticed on the WeedBusters site that the National Pest Plant Accord is being reviewed - with many pest plants that cause problems in Le Roys being proposed for removal from the NPPA.

As Alan Liefting says in http://weedbusters.co.nz/news/: "The National Plant Pest Accord (NPPA) is in danger of being stripped of many of the worst weeds that infest much of New Zealand"

However some of Le Roys 16 worst weeds are proposed for exclusion. For example Pampas Grass, Tree Privet, Japanese Honeysuckle, Woolly Nightshade and Morning Glory (subject to further information). These are all recent or current problems for Le Roys.

There are some weeds proposed for inclusion which are not being carried forward eg "Birkenhead's National Weed" Acanthus - aka Bears Breeches? I am at a loss to understand why such plants are not being included. Fortunately Queen of the Night is one of the plants being recommended for inclusion.

It is worth giving some thought to the role that the NPPA plays. Is it just for officials, scientists, lobbyists and other professionals? Or should there be a better integrated database of pest plants that lists all weeds and potential weeds, listing whether they are subject to national or regional controls and linking to sites that assist in the identification and control of each plant? At present the pest plant control mechanisms are complex and hard for the layman to follow. If the powers that be wish to continue to encourage lay volunteers to preserve the biodiversity in our reserves, they should try to make the information more user friendly.

How many pest plant lists does the country need. An interested member of the public who lighted on the NPPA list for 2008 (http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/pests/plants/nppa/nppa-accord-manual.pdf) could be forgiven for thinking that this was a comprehensive list - rather than just a small subset of the weeds that are problematic for all New Zealanders.

Keith Salmon, 22 January 2012