The Foundation has invested in a new project to enhance urban biosecurity in Australia, contracting Jess Lye at cesar to use a foundational approach to understand emerging risks, support resilient cities and safeguard rural industry (PBSF027).
Australian cities are undergoing a high rate of growth. Creating ‘urban forests’ to boost resilience is becoming more common, local governments are developing urban agriculture strategies and ‘urban agriculture’ has experienced a marked increase over the past decade. The imperative to improve urban biosecurity is obvious.
The new project will:
1. Develop a guiding framework for initiation of biosecurity activities in a major Australian city (Melbourne & Greater Melbourne); and
2. Test and refine the methodology for developing the framework for use in other jurisdictions.
This work will develop and execute a process of identifying needs and risks at the city level that may be used to guide future work in the area of urban/peri-urban plant biosecurity in Australia. The resulting framework will be available for immediate use in Victoria and the project will test a methodology that will be replicable in other jurisdictions.
It is hoped that this project will run in parallel with the development of an urban biosecurity strategy at the national level. Cross-talk between this initiative (deep dive approach) and the national strategy initiative (high level) will be important to maximise the practicality of the resulting strategy.
For more information visit the project page.