New paper on ‘potential impact of cane toads on Pilbara biodiversity’ gaining attention

PBG’s Judy Dunlop, Ben Phillips, and Brenton von Takach (along with their co-authors) recently published a paper titled ‘Quantifying the potential impact of the cane toad (Rhinella marina) on biodiversity in Australia’s Pilbara region’ in Scientific Reports available here. The paper outlines how the spread of cane toads to the Pilbara will potentially cause 25 vertebrate taxa of the Pilbara to show population declines due to lethal poisoning by the toads. Of the 25 at-risk taxa, eight are endemic to the Pilbara. Further, the spread of cane toads to the Pilbara could result in five mammal and four reptile species being added to the threatened species list, and another species being upgraded in threat status. The paper has attracted significant media attention, and the concepts behind the paper and the potential for a ‘Toad Containment Zone’ to prevent the biodiversity impacts have been further explored in an article in The Conversation available here.