NSW DPI researchers present at Australasian Weeds Conference
10 Sep 2018
The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and Local Land Services are proud to jointly support the 21stAustralasian Weeds Conference, hosted by the Weed Society of New South Wales on behalf of the Council of Australasian Weed Societies Inc. held in Sydney from 9-12 September.
The conference provides the opportunity to bring the weed management community together to discuss new developments and share information about cutting-edge and best weed management practices.
Delegates will network with peers, engage with industry sponsors, listen and participate in presentations and field trips on a variety of topics.
Keynote speaker, NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Manager, Invasive Species Research Dr Pete Turner will present Harnessing the ‘Power and the passion’ of weed management for improved weed biosecurity in NSW.
Dr Turner said biosecurity is a shared responsibility, and everyone in NSW has a role to play in protecting the State from weed biosecurity risks.
“There are a number of examples were weed managers and the community have achieved a shared understanding and willingness to take action for priority weeds, which I will be presenting at the conference,” Dr Turner said
NSW DPI Senior Research Scientist Dr Andrew McConnachie will present his research on exploring the use of unmanned aerial vehicles as a cost effective tool to monitor the dispersal and impact of released biological control agents on major weeds, boxing glove cactus and Hudson pear.
NSW DPI Research Leader Dr Kerinne Harvey will present in its early stage the development of a shared investment funding model to sustainably fund the future needs of research, development and extension in weed biological control.
Additional NSW DPI speakers and presentations include:
- Development Officer Weeds Information Dr Elissa Van Oosterhout – From little things big things grow: Improving weed management using community based social marketing
- Principle Research Scientist Dr Hanwen Wu – Emergence patterns and herbicidal control options of prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola)
- Research Scientist Dr David Gopurenko – Specificity of LAMP for genetic diagnostics of Chilean needle grass and serrated tussock
- Invasive Species Officer Paul Sullivan – Weed Biocontrol in temperate Australia – a new manual for best practice management to be published later in the year
- Leader Invasive Species Extension, Birgitte Verbeek – will chair the Building Capacity to Manage Weeds Session
- Professional Officer Dr Stephen Johnson – Futures in risk assessment: challenges in preventing and mitigating weed threats
NSW only hosts this event every 14 years, attracting over 400 delegates from across Australasia and around the world.
The conference field trips will showcase the beautiful and iconic Sydney Harbour, Taronga Zoo, Royal Botanic Gardens and Sydney’s northern beaches.
Further details on the 21st Australasian Weeds Conference is available at www.21awc.org.au
Media contact: (02) 6391 3686
