Engaging in Biosecurity in Horticultural Regions
Profiling Biosecurity Engagement in Horticultural Regions
Risks to Australia’s biosecurity arise through an increase in the mobility of people, plants, animals and trade. Carefully designed, proactive communication and engagement strategies are necessary to assist landholders and rural communities plan for, detect and act on pest and disease incursions.
The Engaging in Biosecurity in Horticultural Regions (EiBHR) project (May 2008 to June 2011) aims to develop a biosecurity engagement framework in association with landholders, industry and local communities for the detection and surveillance of pest and disease incursions.
Phase One
Phase one of the EiBHR project saw the National Biosecurity Engagement Forum held in September 2008 in Canberra. The Forum involved over 100 of Australia’s key biosecurity engagement stakeholders who contributed by providing ideas and a general direction for the project.
Also resulting from the forum is the Biosecurity Engagement Practitioners Network (BEPN).
Phase Two
Profiling biosecurity engagement activities in horticultural regions across Australia (March to December 2009) forms phase 2 of the EiBHR project. It will extend knowledge of, and aggregate lessons learned about successful engagement principles and practices. This work will then underpin the development of guidelines on biosecurity engagement for new and existing surveillance and detection strategies for pests and diseases.
The project will also build partnerships between government, industry and research bodies at all levels to facilitate the growth of productive regional and national engagement networks.
The 2009 workshop report can be found on the Biosecurity Engagement Practitioners Network (BEPN).
Phase Three
The aims of Phase 3 (2010) are to test and communicate the draft biosecurity engagement guidelines developed in 2009 and investigate new opportunities for public engagement. This includes on-ground trials to test and strengthen aspects of the guidelines, developing and implementing a communications plan for the guidelines, and an investigation into the potential for volunteer monitoring.
The draft guidelines can be found here Draft Biosecurity Engagement Guidelines.
Biosecurity Engagement Practitioners Network
Individuals interested in community engagement and biosecurity are invited to participate in the Biosecurity Engagement Practitioners Network (BEPN).
The online forum has been developed to encourage greater communication and collaboration between biosecurity engagement practitioners in Australia.
While the BEPN primarily has a focus on biosecurity threats to Australia’s horticulture, it also focuses on other agicultural related biosecurity issues.
The BEPN provides members with the opportunity to:
- share ideas through discussion groups
- view and add to a calendar of upcoming events
- view and add to links to other biosecurity engagement related websites
- view and add their contact details to a biosecurity engagement practitioners contact list
- provide input into the Engagement in Biosecurity in Horticultural Regions project
- get summary documents from the engagement in Biosecurity project.
Registration is free. To access the BEPN, send an email to the administrator, providing: your name; organisation; email address; and phone number. The BEPN Administrator will then send an email to you with your login details and a link to the site.
The Office of the Chief Plant Protection Officer (OCPPO) manages the BEPN.
For more information on the BEPN please email the BEPN Administrator, Tim Coutts or telephone +61 2 6272 5295.