Forest Watch Australia: Building bark beetle knowledge and capacity
The Forest Watch Australia program recently facilitated an exciting opportunity for eight entomologists from the Commonwealth, state and Northern Territory governments to attend the fifth Bark and Ambrosia Beetle Academy in Indonesia.
Held from 15-18 October 2024 at the Universitas Brawijaya in Malang, the event included field trips and lab-based workshops, with participants receiving hands-on training in bark beetle collection and identification to build their skills and knowledge of this important group of forest pests.
The event emphasised the need for national and international collaboration to enhance our biosecurity system, bringing together researchers and practitioners across Australasia to share knowledge and expertise. The insights and connections gained are key in building diagnostic and surveillance capacity to combat the threat of bark and ambrosia beetles, supporting both the Forest Watch Program and jurisdictions’ pest response efforts.
Forest Watch Australia, funded by growers through the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) and the Plant Health Australia (PHA) levy, aims to protect forests from exotic pests. Each year, it offers training to build surveillance and diagnostic skills. The program is a collaboration between PHA, AFPA, state and territory governments, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), the Invasive Species Council, Natural Resource Management Regions Australia, and Forest and Wood Products Australia.
Attendees supported by Forest Watch Australia were James Buxton (Agricultture Victoria), Prakash Gaudel (Northern Territory Department of Agriculture and Fisheries), Andras Szito (WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development), Jordyn Giddins (SARDI), David Britton (New South Wales Department of Industry and Regional Development) , Emily Lancaster (Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries) , Melissa Houghton (Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania), Ramandeep Kaur (Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry).
