Wollemia nobilis (Wollemi Pine) - Biosecurity New Zealand

2. ANALYSIS BACKGROUND AND PROCESS
2.1 Risk Analysis Background
Wollemia nobilis Jones, Hill & Allen 1995 (Wollemi pine) is the plant equivalent of the
New Zealand tuatara, being a species that appears to be most closely related to fossils over
100 million years old. It a monotypic genus and the world’s newest known conifer, being
discovered 10 years ago by a New South Wales National Parks & Wildlife Service officer
(Jones et al. 1995). The Wollemi pine is a relict species currently known to occur in only two
sites located about 1 km apart in Wollemi National Park on the Central Tablelands of New
South Wales in south eastern Australia, 200 km northwest of Sydney. Less than 40 adult and
200 juvenile plants are known in the wild (NPWS 1998). Wollemia nobilis is a member of
the Araucariaceae family, which also includes the genera Agathis and Araucaria. The
common name of “Wollemi pine” is misleading, as it is not a member of the “pine” family
Pinaceae.
There currently is no import health standard for Wollemia nobilis nursery stock. The overall
objective of this project, therefore, is to complete an analysis of the biosecurity risks of
importing into New Zealand Wollemia nobilis nursery stock from Australia, and identify
appropriate measures to mitigate the identified risks. The identified options for measures will
then form the basis of a new import health standard for importing Wollemia nobilis nursery
stock into New Zealand from Australia.
As Wollemia nobilis is a new species to science there is a lack of published technical
information about associated pests. The import risk analysis will therefore review the
literature for pests associated with the Wollemia nobilis family, namely Araucariaceae, in an
attempt to ensure any future or as yet unidentified potential risks are assessed.
The objective of this project therefore is to conduct an import risk analysis, which will be
used as the platform for the development of an import health standard for Wollemia nobilis
nursery stock from Australia.
2.2 Risk Analysis Process and Methodology
The following chapter briefly describes the Biosecurity New Zealand process and
methodology for undertaking import risk analyses. For a more detailed description of the
process and methodology please refer to the Biosecurity New Zealand Risk Analysis
Procedures (Version 1 12 April 2006) which is available on the Ministry of Agriculture and
Forestry web site 6 .
The risk analysis process leading to the final risk analysis document is summarised in Figure
2.1.
6 http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/pests-diseases/surveillance-review/risk-analysis-procedures.pdf
Page 10 of 193 14 March 2008 Import Risk Analysis: Wollemia nobilis (Wollemi Pine) Araucariaceae Nursery Stock from Australia