Toad Containment Zone | Professor Ben Phillips

The cane toads are coming. Can a simple, but clever plan stop them from fully invading Western Australia and causing catastrophic damage?

Join our host David as he talks with Professor Ben Phillips about the project he's leading, the Toad Containment Zone (TCZ). A collaborative effort between community, rangers and scientists, the TCZ is the last line of defence against the cane toad invasion of Western Australia. If not stopped, the cane toad will have devastating wildlife and cultural impacts.

  • How cane toads came to Australia (01:15)
  • Ecological fallout of toads (06:38)
  • 鈥淧ut them in the freezer鈥: efforts to control toads (12:11)
  • The Toad Containment Zone (TCZ): what it is and how it will work (14:14)
  • Charismatic species set to disappear (23:08)
  • How soon can we gauge success? (26:11)

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Connect with our guests

Professor Ben Phillips is a population biologist and a Premier Science Fellow at 麻豆直播, where he conducts biosecurity research in the School of Molecular and Life Sciences.聽He has worked extensively across the Northern Territory and Western Australia on cane toad biology, ecology and evolution, and on how to control and reduce the impacts of cane toads on vulnerable native species, including northern quolls.聽

Ben鈥檚 modelling work has identified where the Toad Containment Zone should be placed and how large it should be to stop the toad invasion to the Pilbara. 聽

You can find Ben on:

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