Priority threat management of non‐native plants to maintain ecosystem integrity across heterogeneous landscapes

A prioritization framework for managing invasive non-native plants, developed using expert knowledge and cost-effectiveness analysis, identifies the most efficient strategies to reduce their dominance across the Lake Eyre Basin (LEB), including Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The study estimates that implementing 12 control strategies could reduce non-native plant dominance by 32% over 50 years at an annual cost of AU$34 million, with three species—Parkinsonia aculeata, Ziziphus mauritiana, and Prosopis spp.—offering 20% of the benefits for just 0.01% of the total cost. The framework provides a model for financially efficient investment in invasive plant management, addressing knowledge gaps such as data reliability and regional collaboration.

Firn, J., Martin, T. G., Chadès, I., Walters, B., Hayes, J., Nicol, S., & Carwardine, J. (2015). Priority threat management of non‐native plants to maintain ecosystem integrity across heterogeneous landscapes. Journal of Applied Ecology, 52(5), 1135–1144. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12500