Lying between the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans, Australia's climate-in particular its rainfall-is difficult to predict reliably and accurately, driven as it is by the interplay of a complex set of systems

Weeds pose a significant threat to natural ecosystems in Australia and consequently large quantities of resources are spent each year to manage them.

Over the years a great deal of work has been directed towards improving the selection, testing and evaluation of biological control agents for weed control.

Buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) is a valuable introduced species for pastoral production but its invasion into arid and semi-arid rangelands represents a key threatening process for conservation values.

Weeds cost the Australian economy millions of dollars each year in lost production, eradication, containment and management, however there has been very little effort placed on assessing or valuing the ecological impa