CRC10162: Communicating Uncertainties in Biosecurity Adaption (CUBA)

This project will help participating industries to prioritise management strategies in response to invasive species incursions. It is expressly designed to be as adaptable to the circumstances of biosecurity risk management decisions as possible (i.e. in terms of the time frame of the decision, available scientific information and data, and diversity of the decision-making groups).

It will build on the success of the Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity (CRCNPB) project CRC10010 “Enhanced Risk Analysis Tools” (ERAT) by developing more effective communication software devices for use in decision-facilitation forums. It will utilise the technologies produced by ERAT and other CRC projects, as well as recently-developed techniques of connecting dispersal models with spatial grids (e.g. Rafoss, 2002; Harwood et al., 2010).

What is the biosecurity problem?

Uncertainty is the norm in biosecurity management, rather than the exception. Uncertainty characterises the process of risk prioritisation at an identification, assessment and communication level. Traditional prescriptive methods of public good management lead to decisions being largely reactive.

In this project we will place emphasis on a proactive approach drawing from technologies developed in CRCNPB Program 1. It will deliver an adaptable, state-of-the-art decision facilitation tool designed to foster agreement between diverse groups of stakeholders on the direction of risk mitigation strategies.

The main outputs of this project are to:

• Develop an interactive software tool to allow stakeholder industries to adapt incursion response actions.
• Create a deliberative multi-criteria analysis tool for use in strategy development meetings.
• Threat data sheets for at least five invasive species for each stakeholder industry containing information important for strategic incursion management.
• Final project report documenting the development and technical specifications of the interactive software tool and the DMCE tool, stakeholder workshops and threat data sheets.

Who will be the end-users of this research?

The technology developed will help to assemble relevant information, to circulate that information to all appropriate stakeholder groups, and to use that information in the management of invasive species. This will significantly reduce transactions costs associated with coordinating the actions of all affected stakeholders in response to invasive species incursions.

Therefore, intended end users include: the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) – Office of the Chief Plant Protection Officer (OCPPO), State Departments of Agriculture (particularly Department of Primary Industries, Victoria and Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA), who are involved in the project) and Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL) (in particular the Australian Banana Growers Council (ABGC) and Apple & Pear Australia (APAL) who are involved in the project).