Invasive Species Presence

AUS-TSR-FOR-ISP General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

25 %
Direction: Lower is desirable ↓
Form: MaximumOnly

Scoring Curve

Scoring curve unavailable

The scoring engine could not generate a curve for this benchmark context. The primary form is CompositeFramework, but the benchmark data may be missing required fields (e.g., optimal range bounds for an OptimalRange benchmark). This is typically a data quality issue in the benchmark pipeline.

Contributing Benchmarks

CompositeFramework Primary MaximumOnly Guard

Evidence & Context

Evidence suggests this threshold is crossed when: Dominant invasive weed cover exceeds 25%, forming dense, landscape-altering thickets (e.g., Lantana)

Metric Definition:

The point beyond which invasive species are no longer just a manageable pressure but become the dominant structuring force in the ecosystem.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark marks the upper detrimental threshold for invasive weed cover in tropical rainforest production forestry, beyond which invasive species dominate and severely disrupt ecosystem processes.

Justification:

At these levels of infestation, the impacts are no longer just competitive; they are transformative, fundamentally altering nutrient cycling, fire regimes, hydrology, and community succession.

Sources (1)

Preview of Lantana - Department of Primary Industries, Queensland
Lantana - Department of Primary Industries, Queensland GreyLiterature

Lantana - Department of Primary Industries, Queensland

View Source

Supporting Sources (29)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of (PDF) Zero-tolerance biosecurity protects high-conservation-value island nature reserve
(PDF) Zero-tolerance biosecurity protects high-conservation-value island nature reserve
Direct Evidence

(PDF) Zero-tolerance biosecurity protects high-conservation-value island nature reserve

View Source
Preview of 15 &15 - Wet Tropics Management Authority
15 &15 - Wet Tropics Management Authority
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

15 &15 - Wet Tropics Management Authority

View Source
Preview of Crazy ants kill small rainforest skinks - Jan 2022 - JCU Australia
Crazy ants kill small rainforest skinks - Jan 2022 - JCU Australia
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

(PDF) Quantifying efficacy of feral pig (Sus scrofa) population management - ResearchGate

View Source
Preview of Ecological Monitoring System Australia (EMSA) - DCCEEW, accessed July 27, 2025
Ecological Monitoring System Australia (EMSA) - DCCEEW, accessed July 27, 2025
Contextual Support Government

Ecological Monitoring System Australia (EMSA) - DCCEEW, accessed August 11, 2025

View Source
Preview of ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT - Forestry Australia, accessed August 10, 2025,
ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT - Forestry Australia, accessed August 10, 2025,
Direct Evidence Journal

www.forestry.org.au

View Source
Preview of Ecosystems and biodiversity – Climate Adaptation - CSIRO Research, accessed August 17, 2025,
Ecosystems and biodiversity – Climate Adaptation - CSIRO Research, accessed August 17, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

The 10 Australian ecosystems most vulnerable to tipping points - ResearchGate

View Source
Preview of Environment Monitoring Systems & Data for Ecosystem Studies ...
Environment Monitoring Systems & Data for Ecosystem Studies ...
Contextual Support Journal

Environment Monitoring Systems & Data for Ecosystem Studies ...

View Source
Preview of Feral pig - Business Queensland
Feral pig - Business Queensland
Contextual Support Government

The Feral Pig (Sus Scrofa) - Fact Sheet - PDF

View Source
Preview of Fighting Plagues and Predators - CSIRO, accessed August 12, 2025,
Fighting Plagues and Predators - CSIRO, accessed August 12, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

Fighting Plagues and Predators - CSIRO

View Source
Preview of Humane management of invasive species - DAFF
Humane management of invasive species - DAFF
Contextual Support Journal

Humane management of invasive species - DAFF

View Source
Preview of Impacts of Invasive Plants on Australian Rangelands
Impacts of Invasive Plants on Australian Rangelands
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Impacts of Invasive Plants on Australian Rangelands

View Source
Preview of Invasive species and range shifts | Australia state of the environment 2021, accessed July 15, 2025
Invasive species and range shifts | Australia state of the environment 2021, accessed July 15, 2025
Contextual Support Government

Invasive species and range shifts | Australia state of the environment 2021, accessed July 30, 2025

View Source
Preview of Invasive species in Australia - Wikipedia, accessed July 6, 2025,
Invasive species in Australia - Wikipedia, accessed July 6, 2025,
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Invasive species in Australia - Wikipedia, accessed July 30, 2025

View Source
Preview of Invasive species, problematic native species, and diseases ..., accessed May 20, 2025,
Invasive species, problematic native species, and diseases ..., accessed May 20, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

National RD&E Priorities for Invasive Plants and Animals, accessed July 27, 2025

View Source
Preview of Lantana camara - GISD
Lantana camara - GISD
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Lantana camara - GISD

View Source
Preview of List of invasive species in Australia - Wikipedia
List of invasive species in Australia - Wikipedia
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Invasive species in Australia - Wikipedia

View Source
Preview of Managing invasive species (Report 1: 2023–24) - Queensland Audit Office
Managing invasive species (Report 1: 2023–24) - Queensland Audit Office
Regulatory Framework Government

Managing invasive species | Queensland Audit Office, accessed July 21, 2025

View Source
Preview of Pests in Paradise – tackling invasive species in the Daintree Rainforest
Pests in Paradise – tackling invasive species in the Daintree Rainforest
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Lantana, Common Lantana, Kamara Lantana, Large-leaf Lantana, Pink Flowered Lantana, Red Flowered Lantana, Red-Flowered Sage, White Sage, Wild Sage - Weeds Australia

View Source
Preview of Progress in the eradication of Miconia calvescens from Australia
Progress in the eradication of Miconia calvescens from Australia
Contextual Support Government

Miconia species - NSW WeedWise

View Source
Preview of Quantifying levels of biological invasion: towards the objective ...
Quantifying levels of biological invasion: towards the objective ...
Methodology Source

Quantifying levels of biological invasion: towards the objective ...

View Source
Preview of Reshaping forest management in Australia to provide nature-based solutions to global challenges - Independent Planning Commission, accessed July 12, 2025,
Reshaping forest management in Australia to provide nature-based solutions to global challenges - Independent Planning Commission, accessed July 12, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Top 6 Sustainable Forest Management Techniques, accessed July 24, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Supersites get the measure of ecosystems | TERN Australia, accessed July 16, 2025,
Supersites get the measure of ecosystems | TERN Australia, accessed July 16, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

Supersites get the measure of ecosystems | TERN Australia

View Source
Preview of TERN producing Australian Pest Fauna Monitoring Protocols
TERN producing Australian Pest Fauna Monitoring Protocols
Methodology Source Government

TERN producing Australian Pest Fauna Monitoring Protocols

View Source
Preview of Top 6 Sustainable Forest Management Techniques
Top 6 Sustainable Forest Management Techniques
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Management of specific pressures | Australia state of the environment 2021, accessed July 23, 2025

View Source
Preview of Top 6 Sustainable Forest Management Techniques, accessed July 12, 2025,
Top 6 Sustainable Forest Management Techniques, accessed July 12, 2025,
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Sustainable native forest management, accessed July 12, 2025

View Source
Preview of Tropical Rainforest (1993), accessed July 30, 2025,
Tropical Rainforest (1993), accessed July 30, 2025,
Regulatory Framework Journal

Australia's State of the Forests Report Synthesis 2023, accessed July 31, 2025

View Source
Preview of Wet Tropics of Queensland - UNESCO World Heritage Centre, accessed July 22, 2025,
Wet Tropics of Queensland - UNESCO World Heritage Centre, accessed July 22, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

Wet Tropics of Queensland - UNESCO World Heritage Centre, accessed July 23, 2025

View Source
Preview of Wet Tropics of Queensland | World Heritage Outlook - IUCN, accessed July 20, 2025,
Wet Tropics of Queensland | World Heritage Outlook - IUCN, accessed July 20, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

Miconia calvescens, accessed July 22, 2025,

View Source
Preview of World Heritage Places - Wet Tropics of Queensland - DCCEEW, accessed July 22, 2025,
World Heritage Places - Wet Tropics of Queensland - DCCEEW, accessed July 22, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

Vegetation and floristics of a lowland tropical rainforest in northeast Australia - Biodiversity Data Journal

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Tropical & Subtropical Rainforests
  • Land Use Production Forestry
  • Assessment Not Stated
  • Vegetation Forest
  • Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 26 May 2026

Notes

Represents a phase shift to a new, degraded, and often stable state that is very difficult and expensive to reverse. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.