The Indigenous Flora and Fauna (IFF) team was formed in October 2001 as a
result of a priority action identified in the New Zealand Biodiversity
Strategy to “…establish effective methods of assessing and managing risks
from unwanted organisms to indigenous biodiversity…”. The IFF team is a
project funded from the Biodiversity package.
The team works within the Biosecurity Co-ordination group of MAF
Biosecurity. The IFF team provides a point of focus for the identification
and analysis of biosecurity risks to New Zealand’s indigenous flora and
fauna.
It works closely with the four specialist biosecurity groups within MAF
(Animal Biosecurity, Border Management, Forest Biosecurity and Plants Biosecurity) when they undertake risk analyses and develop import health
standards. The IFF team helps to ensure that risks to indigenous flora and
fauna are identified, assessed and managed in this process.
The IFF team also liases closely with the Department of Conservation and a
number of Crown research organisations with regard to wider government
concerns on indigenous flora and fauna biosecurity issues.
In addition to the establishment of effective methodologies for
identification, assessment and management of biosecurity risks to the
environment, the IFF team provides policy and technical advice to wider
functions of MAF Biosecurity Authority. These include surveillance for
environmental pests and diseases and response to incursions of concern to
indigenous flora and fauna. |
