Invasive Species Presence

AUS-ASC-LVG-ISP General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

5 %
Direction: Lower is desirable ↓
Form: MinimumOnly

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 OptimalRange Guard MinimumOnly Guard MaximumOnly Guard MinimumOnly Guard UpperThreshold Guard CompositeFramework Guard CompositeFramework Guard LowerThreshold Guard MinimumOnly Guard UpperThreshold Guard

Evidence & Context

Quantitative evidence for such a threshold for invasive plants in Australian alpine regions is provided by the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) decision framework for managing introduced plants. This framework uses a cover of greater than 5% of introduced plant species as a trigger point indicating that an area of vegetation is in "poor condition" and that management action would be considered.

Metric Definition:

Cover percentage of introduced plant species indicating poor condition and ecological degradation.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark defines the detrimental threshold for invasive plant cover at 5%, beyond which ecological degradation and poor condition are indicated in Australian alpine grazing lands.

Justification:

This can be considered a management-defined detrimental threshold for invasive plant cover, signifying a state where ecological degradation is recognized.

Sources (1)

Preview of Management of introduced plant species in the Australian Alps - Science for Saving Species
Management of introduced plant species in the Australian Alps - Science for Saving Species Journal

Management of introduced plant species in the Australian Alps - Science for Saving Species, accessed on May 28, 2025,

View Source

Supporting Sources (17)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Alpine Grazing Taskforce. (2005). Report of the Alpine Grazing Taskforce. Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria.
Alpine Grazing Taskforce. (2005). Report of the Alpine Grazing Taskforce. Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria.
Contextual Support Journal

Biodiversity | Australia state of the environment 2021, accessed on May 25, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Australian Alps - DCCEEW, accessed August 3, 2025,
Australian Alps - DCCEEW, accessed August 3, 2025,
Direct Evidence Government

State forests around Bombala - Forestry Corporation, accessed August 17, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Condition thresholds in Australia's threatened ecological community listings hinder conservation of dynamic ecosystems - CSIRO Publishing, accessed August 4, 2025
Condition thresholds in Australia's threatened ecological community listings hinder conservation of dynamic ecosystems - CSIRO Publishing, accessed August 4, 2025
Contextual Support Journal

Condition thresholds in Australia´s threatened ... - CSIRO Publishing

View Source
Preview of Invasive species - ABARES - DAFF, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Invasive species - ABARES - DAFF, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

Why citizen scientists are key in the fight against invasive species - CSIRO, accessed on May 25, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Invasive Species - NSW State of the Environment, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Invasive Species - NSW State of the Environment, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

ALPINE - Parks Victoria, accessed on May 25, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Invasive Species (Australia) | EBSCO Research Starters, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Invasive Species (Australia) | EBSCO Research Starters, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Invasive Species (Australia) | EBSCO Research Starters, accessed on May 25, 2025,

View Source
Preview of ‪John W. Morgan‬ - ‪Google Scholar‬, accessed on May 25, 2025,
‪John W. Morgan‬ - ‪Google Scholar‬, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Contextual Support GreyLiterature

‪John W. Morgan‬ - ‪Google Scholar‬, accessed on May 25, 2025,

View Source
Preview of LTERN publications catalogued | TERN Australia - Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, accessed on May 25, 2025,
LTERN publications catalogued | TERN Australia - Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Contextual Support Government

TERN - Australia's Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, accessed on May 25, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Managing for biodiversity: Impact and action thresholds for invasive plants in natural ecosystems | SPREP, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Managing for biodiversity: Impact and action thresholds for invasive plants in natural ecosystems | SPREP, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Managing for biodiversity: Impact and action thresholds for invasive plants in natural ecosystems | SPREP, accessed on May 25, 2025,

View Source
Preview of New pasture plants intensify invasive species risk - PMC - PubMed Central, accessed August 6, 2025,
New pasture plants intensify invasive species risk - PMC - PubMed Central, accessed August 6, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Impacts and management of feral horses in the Australian Alps Submission 25 - Parliament of Australia, accessed on May 25, 2025,

View Source
Preview of New pasture plants intensify invasive species risk - PMC - PubMed Central, accessed on May 25, 2025,
New pasture plants intensify invasive species risk - PMC - PubMed Central, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

New pasture plants intensify invasive species risk - PMC - PubMed Central, accessed on May 25, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Overgrazing & Reducing Grazing Pressure | Bush Heritage Australia, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Overgrazing & Reducing Grazing Pressure | Bush Heritage Australia, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Overgrazing & Reducing Grazing Pressure | Bush Heritage Australia, accessed on May 25, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Plant invasions in treeless vegetation of the Australian Alps | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Plant invasions in treeless vegetation of the Australian Alps | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Plant invasions in treeless vegetation of the Australian Alps | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed on May 25, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Plant invasions into mountains and alpine ecosystems: current status and future challenges - Montana State University, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Plant invasions into mountains and alpine ecosystems: current status and future challenges - Montana State University, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Plant invasions into mountains and alpine ecosystems: current status and future challenges - Montana State University, accessed on May 25, 2025,

View Source
Preview of research-repository.griffith.edu.au, accessed on May 25, 2025,
research-repository.griffith.edu.au, accessed on May 25, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

Assessing alpine vegetation dynamics using long-term ecological monitoring amidst rapid climate change - Griffith Research Online, accessed on May 25, 2025,

View Source
Preview of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN). (2012). Seven decades of data sustaining the Australian Alps.
Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN). (2012). Seven decades of data sustaining the Australian Alps.
Contextual Support Government

ANU Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTERN), accessed on May 25, 2025,

View Source
Preview of The effectiveness of weed control in a threatened plant community ..., accessed May 10, 2025,
The effectiveness of weed control in a threatened plant community ..., accessed May 10, 2025,
Contextual Support Journal

A checklist of attributes for effective monitoring of threatened species and threatened ecosystems - Charles Darwin University, accessed August 8, 2025,

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Alpine and Subalpine Complex
  • Land Use Livestock Grazing & Pasture
  • Assessment Pristine Reference
  • Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 21 Mar 2026

Notes

Beyond this specific plant cover metric, detrimental thresholds are also evidenced by the severe impacts documented for various invasive species.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-ASC-LVG-ISP family.

5 % Moderate
Livestock Grazing & Pasture · Pristine Reference
UpperThreshold Active v1
— % Moderate
Livestock Grazing & Pasture · Pristine Reference
CompositeFramework Active v1
0 % Moderate
Livestock Grazing & Pasture · Pristine Reference
LowerThreshold Active v1