ACT Pest Animal Management Strategy 2012-2022.

The ACT Pest Animal Management Strategy 2012-2022 has been developed to support all stakeholders with responsibility for, or interest in, managing pest animals in the Australia Capital Territory (ACT). The strategic goal is to set the framework and approach for managing the undesirable social, environmental and economic impacts of pest animals across conservation, rural and urban lands in the ACT.
Part 1 of the Strategy focuses on the key principles, objectives, and strategic actions for reducing the damage caused by pest animals. The rationale for the Strategy, key pest management issues for the ACT and implementation of the strategy are addressed fully in Part 2 of the strategy. Part 2 also provides a source of readily accessible information on pest animal management for ACT land managers and community groups.
The Strategy has 10 key principles for managing pest and native animals for damage reduction, in summary: 1) pest animals are exotic species that cause unacceptable social, environmental or economic damage; 2) it is essential to seek and understand the attitudes and concerns of the key individuals and groups that have a significant interest in the pest animals; 3) prevention and early intervention are the most cost-effective management techniques; 4) management programs should strategically target actual (rather than perceived) pest problems; 5) pest animal damage should be managed using a whole-of-system approach; 6) management priorities and resources require a risk management approach; 7) accurate monitoring and evaluation of management programs is required; 8) coordination among all levels of government in partnership with industry, land and water managers and the community is required; 9) native animals may require management for damage reduction and management programs should take into account the value and vulnerability of affected assets and the expected benefits from intervention; and 10) effective management requires capacity building across all stakeholder groups.
The Strategy has four key objectives. 1) Prevent the incursion of new pest animal species, detect and eradicate or contain new incursions. 2) Reduce damage caused by established pest animal species. 3) Manage native animals appropriately to achieve damage reduction and conservation. 4) Increase awareness, understanding, coordination and capacity building.
Increase resilience and livelihood to disasters (pests) is the overarching objective of the Strategy that drives the compilation of the entire document in each single section.
The Strategy recognising among the key stakeholders for pest management rural landholders gives to sustainable agriculture a main role in ensuring a coordinated pest animal management approach. Rural landholders’ specific management objective is "undertaking productive and sustainable agriculture and/or lifestyle activities" and their responsibilities are: 1) Recognise the nature and causes of pest animal damage to agriculture and biodiversity; 2) Detect and report notifiable and prohibited pest animal occurrences; 3) Manage pest animal problems using appropriate techniques and practices. 4) Cooperate with adjacent land managers to deliver pest management outcomes; 5) Provide input to government legislation, policy, regulation, and management frameworks; 6) Protect threatened species and communities.
Community and key stakeholders’ engagement (including rural landholders) in management programs as one of the key strategies, with prospects for education, training and workshops enable more inclusive agricultural system and sets basis for viable solutions to the pest management issue.