Policies for the management of weeds in natural ecosystems: The case of scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius, L.) in an Australian national park

Abstract

Environmental weeds are plants that invade natural ecosystems and present a serious threat to conservation of nature. Environmental weeds have been implicated in the extinction of several indigenous plant species, and they also threaten ecosystem stability and functional complexity. Historically, emphasis in weed control in Australian national parks has been placed on chemicals, manual pulling of small plants, excluding tourists and feral animal control measures. Recently, biological control has been introduced to control weed infestations. These methods typically have been applied as funds have become available, with little opportunity to consider their long-term effectiveness. As the threa..