Managing pests in the Whitsundays - Biosecurity Plan review

Thank you for participating in our recent consultation about the updated Whitsunday Biosecurity Plan. We will consider your feedback while we finalise the document and a report will be presented to Council at an upcoming meeting.

View the Consultation Summary below, or download it here!

How important is biosecurity?

Did you know pest plants and animals are estimated to have an economic impact of $600 million a year on the Queensland economy? And there is over 150,000ha of land infested with declared weeds in the Whitsunday region alone?

Pest plants and animals, such as feral pigs and weeds like lantana, can also have a disastrous impact on agricultural production and cause major damage to the natural environment.

To help combat these impacts, we consulted with residents and developed the Whitsunday Biosecurity Plan in 2017.

Why are we updating the Biosecurity Plan?

The Biosecurity Plan is now four years old and up for review to ensure it is still in line with community expectations.

The revised Whitsunday Biosecurity Plan has some updated sections, including:

• A list of priority pest projects
• A town-specific list of priority pest plants
• A list of priority pest management tasks.

Under the Queensland Biosecurity Act (2014), local governments are required to have a Biosecurity Plan which covers all private and State land. The aim of the Biosecurity Plan is to guide how pest plants and animals will be managed within the Whitsunday Region.