Myrtle Rust – The Silent Killer

Watch here (copy link): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=377xA_FeJoA

Australia’s native plants are experiencing their own pandemic. The myrtle rust fungus is silently killing our seedlings, saplings and established trees. Hundreds of Australian species in the Myrtaceae family are susceptible including bottlebrushes, eucalypts and tea trees with 16 species set to become extinct within a generation.

This new short film shares first-hand stories on this disease from indigenous rangers, scientists and landowners. Please share this short video so more people understand the threat to our native plants and the conservation actions we must take to save them.

The Myrtle Rust National Action Plan

Myrtle Rust is a plant disease caused by the introduced fungal pathogen Austropuccinia psidii and it poses a serious and urgent threat to Australia’s native biodiversity. Myrtle Rust affects plant species in the family Myrtaceae (paperbarks, tea-trees, eucalypts, and lillipillies), which are key and often dominant species in most Australian ecosystems. To date it has proved capable of infecting 382 native species and this number is growing. Serious declines towards extinction are underway in some species, and broader ecological consequences are expected. Myrtle Rust is likely to have a significant impact on matters of national environmental significance protected under national environment law, including listed threatened species and ecological communities, wetlands of international importance, world heritage sites, and national heritage places.

The Myrtle Rust in Australia: National Action Plan can be downloaded (screen version) or booklet printable version here.

The Action Plan is supported by Myrtle Rust reviewed: The impacts of the invasive plant pathogen Austropuccinia psidii on the Australian environment (R.O. Makinson 2018), a valuable resource to be read in conjunction with the National Action Plan.

For further information on the Plan, please email info@apbsf.org.au.

Myrtle Rust National Action Plan

Myrtle Rust National Symposium

Galvanising action to conserve native plant species threatened by myrtle rust

March 2021

The Foundation and partners convened the National Myrtle Rust Symposium in March 2021, with over 200 delegates either attending in-person or online.

The symposium brought together key stakeholders together to build a community of interest, share knowledge and build co-ordination and implementation of the National Action Plan. Presenters shared the latest research, response, surveillance and conservation activity, framed against the Action Plan. See our media release for more detail.

Supported by

AHAB2110_Arsh - Biosecurity Symposium Signature Block_FA2

Presentations

We had an awesome line up of more than 50 speakers, from international scientists, to people on the ground trying to save species from extinction and many more.

To watch a presentation, click on the tab to open a session, and then click on the title of the talk you want to watch.

To watch a whole session, go to the links below.

Session 1: Introduction

Welcome to Country
Aunty Julia Paden, Jali LALC

Introduction
Michael Robinson, Australian Plant Biosecurity Science Foundation

Overview of the disease
Geoff Pegg, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries

Indigenous custodians of the land are concerned about the impact of myrtle rust, plant biosecurity threats, pests, and diseases on our country
Michael Robinson on behalf of Linda Ford

Conservation consequences of Myrtle Rust
Brett Summerell, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

Australia managing for myrtle rust
Elyse Herrald-Woods, Environmental Biosecurity Office, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment

NSW – Saving our Species Myrtle Rust program
Craig Stehn, NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment

Community, government and NGO responses, and the Action Plan
Bob Makinson, Australian Network for Plant Conservation

Myrtle Rust – protecting the mauri of our myrtacae
Ken Hughey, Department of Conservation, NZ

Discussion
Chair – Angus Carnegie

Session 2: Impact Assessment 1

The impacts of Myrtle Rust – the story so far
Angus Carnegie, NSW Department of Primary Industries

Extinction of Australian rainforest trees by fungal disease
Julian Radford-Smith, The University of Queensland

Impacts of Myrtle Rust on wetlands and coastal heath
Geoff Pegg, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries

Common and at risk of extinction: functionally immortal and critically endangered: paradoxes resolved in the time of Myrtle Rust
Rob Kooyman, Macquarie University, The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney

Modelling the climate preference of Myrtle Rust disease with a widespread host species
Natalie Meiklejohn, University of Queensland/NSW DPIE

Current status of Austropuccinia psidii in the Northern Territory – locations and hosts
Donna Lewis, Northern Territory Herbarium

The impacts of Myrtle Rust in New Zealand
Roanne Sutherland and Beccy Ganley, Scion, New Zealand Forest Research Institute Ltd

Examining pathogen spill-over of Myrtle Rust and impact on climbing rātā (Metrosideros sp.) in NZ
Ngaio Balfour, Scion, New Zealand Forest Research Institute Ltd

Session 3: Impact Assessment 2

Impacts of Myrtle Rust in fire affected ecosystems in Queensland
Louise Shuey, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries

The impacts of Myrtle Rust on K’gari
Tilly Davis, Butchulla Land and Sea Rangers

Population and community impacts of invasion by the Myrtle Rust pathogen, Austropuccinia psidii
Joshua Buru, Queensland University of Technology

An update on Myrtle Rust in New Caledonia
Julia Soewarto, Scion, New Zealand Forest Research Institute Ltd

Species impacts of Myrtle Rust in Hawaii
Phil Cannon, USDA Forest Service
James B Friday and Rob Hauff, University of Hawaii

Discussion
Chair – Geoff Pegg

Session 4: The threat, monitoring, management, resistance

The increasing threat of exotic pests and diseases of environmental significance
Mike Wingfield, University of Pretoria

Differential expression analysis of Leptospermum scoparium (mānuka) and Austropuccinia psidii transcripts provides clues to the pathogen infection and plant resistance mechanisms
Grant Smith, Plant and Food Research, NZ

Microbe community transplants as a potential control for A. psidii
Mason Kamalani Chock, University of California, Berkeley

RNAi vaccines as a novel control for Myrtle Rust
Anne Sawyer, The University of Queensland

Developing molecular ‘fingerprinting’ of Myrtle Rust disease to facilitate strategies in monitoring and control
Michelle Moffitt, Western University Sydney

Discussion
Chair – Brett Summerell

Session 5: Biosecurity

Overview – strains and pathways …
Alistair McTaggart, The University of Queensland

Exotic strains and the national priority list
Elyse Herrald-Woods, Environmental Biosecurity Office, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

Using genomic tools for biosecurity responses to a devastating environmental pathogen
Peri Tobias, University of Sydney

Urediniospores of Austropuccinia psidii germinate more readily at cooler temperatures
Rebecca Degnan, University of Queensland

I think we dodged a bullet! Implementing a Rapid Response Plan for a Myrtle Rust incursion on Lord Howe Island in October 2016
Hank Bower, Manager Environment/World Heritage, Lord Howe Island Board

Austropuccinia psidii: the threat of the South African strain
Julia Soewarto, Scion, New Zealand Forest Research Institute Ltd

Development of molecular tools for detecting genetically distinct biotypes of Austropuccinia psidii
Jane Stewart, Jorge R Ibarra Caballero, Colorado State University

Myrtle Rust preparedness in WA
Mariana Campos, CSIRO
Shane Tobe, Murdoch University

Myrtle Rust in Tasmania

Andrew Bishop, DPIPWE

Discussion
Chair – Alistair McTaggart

Session 6: Towards Recovery

An overview of recovery options – one size does not fit all
Bob Makinson, Australian Network for Plant Conservation

The NSW SoS Emergency Response for Rhodamnia rubescens and Rhodomyrtus psidioides
Craig Stehn, NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment

Lenwebbia sp Main Range – from obscurity to recovery. Oh the place you’ll go!
Justin Mallee, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service

Ex situ conservation to aid recovery
Karen Sommerville, The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust

Booderee Botanic Gardens – Local populations rescue effort
Julie Percival, Booderee Botanic Gardens

Selection of Myrtle Rust Resistant Individuals within Species Affected
Spencer Shaw, Brush Turkey Enterprises

Earth Learning’s Local Response to Myrtle Rust in Northern Rivers, NSW
Marion Riordan, Earth Learning and Limpinwood Nursery

Ex-situ conservation?
Phillip Parsons, Tasmanian Arboretum

The WA preparedness and recovery actions
Emer O’Gara, WA Dept of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions
Sonya Broughton, WA Dept Primary Industries & Regional Development
Amanda Shade, Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority (Kings Park)
Andrew Crawford, WA Dept of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions

Managing ex-situ collections of species impacted by Myrtle Rust
Jason Bragg, The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney

Discussion
Chair – Craig Stehn

Session 7: Awareness and Engagement

Not just a research problem: action or extinction, our choice
Bob Makinson, Australian Network for Plant Conservation

Culturally important awareness and engagement
Tilly Davis, AJ Perkins

Myrtle Rust – the impact to Maori
Alby Marsh, Plant and Food Research, New Zealand

Community-led environmental biosecurity in Western Australia: a mechanism for statewide Myrtle Rust surveillance and early detection
Justin Bellanger, South Coast NRM WA

Building the base: The value of boosting social capital for improved urban plant health stewardship
Jessica Lye, Cesar Australia

The importance of community in the Lord Howe Island response
Hank Bower, Lord Howe Island Board

Myrtle Rust: a perspective from the Australian Government’s Threatened Species Commissioner
Sally Box, Threatened Species Commissioner

Panel Discussion – Building awareness and engagement: key learnings
Chair – Michael Robinson (Sally Box, Justin Bellanger, Jessica Lye, Hank Bower, Alby Marsh, Tilly Davis, Andrew Cox)

Presentations

Session 1: Introduction

Session 2 & 3: Impact Assessment

Session 4: The threat, monitoring, management, resistance

Session 5: Biosecurity

Session 6: Towards Recovery

Session 7: Awareness and Engagement

For more information please contact the Foundation through info@apbsf.org.au

The Symposium Planning Committee

Geoff Pegg (QDAF)
Angus Carnegie (NSWDPI)
Bob Makinson (ANPC)
Brett Summerell (NRBG)
Alistair McTaggart (UQ)
Julie Quinn (DAWE)
Rachel Morgain (Threatened Species Hub)
Craig Stehn (NSW Saving our Species)

The Conference Team and the Plant Biosecurity Science Foundation is grateful for the support of the NSW Saving our Species program, the Threatened Species Recovery Hub, and the 2021 Australia Biosecurity Symposium hosted by the Biosecurity Collective.

Please review the Foundation’s range of Myrtle Rust projects below.

Knowledge Products

The Foundation and partners are developing a range of Myrtle Rust Knowledge products resulting from the Symposium, supported by the Department of Agriculture Water and Environment through the Environmental Biosecurity Found. Watch this space!