Do you know the difference between a Red Imported Fire Ant and a Yellow Crazy Ant?
How do you spot a cane toad?
Is that a Red-eared Slider Turtle? And what do you do if your parcel has a bug in it?
These and other unwanted pests can enter our ports in NSW which are the GATEWAY to stopping these biosecurity risks before they take hold in our community.
Gateway pests are also known as cargo, exotic, non-indigenous, contaminating pests, stowaways or hitchhikers. They are animals (insect, reptile, amphibian, mammal, bird or fish) or diseases that have hitched a ride to Australia and are not native to, or established in NSW and could have a negative impact on plants, animals or people.
A 6-module online course is available now to guide you through identifying some of these major gateway pests. You will learn how you can report any suspicious biosecurity activity to stop them in their tracks to reduce their impact on the economy, community, environment and agricultural industries.
Local government, industry and the community have played a pivotal role in “shutting the gate” on these pests. Find out how you can help in as little as 90 minutes with the Gateway Pests of NSW online course!
This interactive, self-paced short course is available for free by visiting https://courses.tocal.nsw.edu.au/programs/gatewaypestsnsw
Gateway pests of NSW characters – Image courtesy of NSW Department of Primary Industries
Further Information
For more information and background about Gateway Pests of NSW visit the NSW DPI website https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/biosecurity/your-role-in-biosecurity/gateway-pests-of-nsw
Acknowledgements:
- This training project was led by Greater Sydney Local Land Services (GSLLS) in partnership with NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE).
