Assessing the impacts of myrtle rust on forest dynamics and function (Old ID 31154)

National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Resilient Landscapes Hub
Role

Principal Investigator

Description

This project investigates the consequences for environmental health of myrtle rust – an exotic fungal pathogen - infection on kanuka box (Tristaniopsis exiliflora). Kanuka box is a tree that grows along fast-flowing, rocky watercourses of northeast Queensland and is important for stabilising banks and preventing erosion within catchments of the Great Barrier Reef. Myrtle rust can kill kanuka box and is therefore a serious ecosystem-level threat that urgently needs to be better understood to assist in conservation management.

Date

01 Oct 2023 - 31 Mar 2026

Project Type

GRANT

Keywords

Tristaniopsis exiliflora (Myrtaceae);Myrtle rust;Riparian ecosystems

Funding Body

National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Resilient Landscapes Hub

Amount

203400

Project Team

Stuart Worboys;Matt Barrett;Gerald Turpin