Application Summary and Information for Submitters Application APP202663: to introduce the moth Lathronympha strigana and the leaf beetle Chrysolina abchasica as biological control agents for the weed tutsan Hypericum androsaemum Date Submissions Open: 1 December 2015 Application number: APP202663 An application to introduce the moth Lathronympha strigana and the Purpose: leaf beetle Chrysolina abchasica as biological control agents for the weed tutsan Hypericum androsaemum Applicant: Tutsan Action Group EPA Application contact: Sarah Fish www.epa.govt.nz 2 Application Summary and Submission Guidance Purpose of this document On 20 November 2015, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) received an application to release the moth Lathronympha strigana and the leaf beetle Chrysolina abchasica as biological control agents for the weed tutsan (Hypericum androsaemum). This application was submitted by the Tutsan Action Group, a community based consortium comprising over 100 farmers, regional council and Department of Conservation conservancies, and supported by the MPI Sustainable Farming Fund, Beef and Lamb New Zealand, the National Biocontrol Collective and Landcare Research. This application is being publicly notified to enable the public to comment on the proposed release and to put all relevant information before the decision makers. The purpose of this document is to provide: information about making a submission a summary of the application a summary of how the EPA will assess the application, and guidance on the submission process. Making a submission The submission period for this application will start on 1 December 2015 and will end at 5pm on 10 February 2016. In a submission you can provide information, make comments, and raise issues. In this way, you can contribute to the EPA decision making process on this application. We are particularly interested in hearing from you about the following matters: adverse effects, especially adverse effects not identified in the application1 positive effects, especially positive effects not identified in the application2. Further information on the purpose of submissions is available from the EPA website using the link below: www.epa.govt.nz/about-us/have-your-say What is a submission? A submission is a way you can have input into the decision making for an application you're interested in. When you write a submission, you set out your point of view for consideration by the decision-making committee. Anyone can make a submission, regardless of how much detail they are able to put in to it. In your submission, you can also request a hearing if you would like to discuss your views in person before the Decision-making Committee. Further information on submissions for an application is available from the EPA website using the link below: http://www.epa.govt.nz/about-us/have-your-say/Pages/what-is-submission.aspx 1 Adverse effects can include any risks and costs associated with release of the organisms. 2 Positive effects can include any benefits associated with release of the organisms. December 2015 3 Application Summary and Submission Guidance How to make a submission? The EPA website provides guidance and steps on how to make a submission. This is preferably done via the EPA submission form but may be sent as a letter or e-mail to the EPA. This information and the submission form can be accessed from the EPA website using the link below: http://www.epa.govt.nz/about-us/have-your-say/Pages/make-submission.aspx How can you get more information? If you have any questions, you can contact: The applicant directly with any question you may have on the technical information provided in the application or the information provided to the EPA. The applicant representative, Richard Hill, can be contacted by e-mail ([email protected]) or by phone (021 1376 919). The EPA with any question on the application and/or the submission processes. The application lead, Sarah Fish, can be contacted by e-mail ([email protected]) or by phone (04 474 5581). What happens after you make a submission? When the submission period closes, all submissions will be summarised and made available to the Decision- making Committee together with the EPA Staff Assessment Report. All submissions will be published on the EPA website. You can request that your contact details remain confidential, but other details of your submission may appear in discussion documents. Public hearing A hearing may be held to enable submitters to speak to the Decision-making Committee about their submissions. When you make a submission, and have indicated that you wish to be heard, you will be entitled to attend the public hearing, and you are entitled to bring witnesses who may speak to your submission. If you choose this option, you should provide the EPA with a list of the witnesses, their areas of expertise, and the elements of the submission or application they will talk to. You are also entitled to speak at the hearing in one of the three official languages of New Zealand English, Māori, or New Zealand Sign Language. Please advise the application lead by e-mail ([email protected]) or phone (04 474 5581) at least two weeks prior to the hearing start in order for the EPA to organise for an interpreter. At least two weeks prior to the hearing, both the applicant and submitter(s) need to provide the EPA with copies of any information they intend to present at the hearing. The decision A decision on the application will be made by the Decision-making Committee at the end of the consideration period. This will be made public on the EPA website. December 2015 4 Application Summary and Submission Guidance Application summary (prepared by the applicant) Application APP202663 seeks approval to introduce two insects as natural enemies of the weed tutsan. This biological control programme has three aims: To remove a significant proportion of tutsan foliage every year, directly reducing the shading effect that allows tutsan to outcompete desirable plant species. To reduce the capacity of tutsan plants to produce seeds that could be spread to new sites by birds. To destroy a significant proportion of the seed produced, limiting regeneration of the weed within existing sites. Tutsan, or Hypericum androsaemum, was probably introduced to New Zealand as an ornamental garden plant prior to 1870. By 1924 it was known as a weed, but it is only since the 1950s that it was seen as a real threat to hill country farming. Tutsan can be found from Kaitaia to Stewart Island. Its effects are worst in the central North Island where it is becoming more abundant. In the last 20 years, farmers around the Ruapehu district in have reported a rapid increase in the density of tutsan on pasture land. The annual cost of managing tutsan to maintain pastoral production in the district in 2012 was estimated at $990,000. Tutsan also affects conservation values, competing successfully with native vegetation in vulnerable places like stream margins and regenerating scrub, and it has the potential to become a more serious conservation weed in New Zealand. This application proposes the introduction of two agents, the moth Lathronympha strigana and the leaf beetle Chrysolina abchasica. The larvae of the moth feed on the leaves and stems of the tutsan plant in spring, and inhabit the fruit, consuming the seeds inside. The leaf beetle larvae graze on the leaves, and in large enough numbers cause defoliation. The potential benefits of biological control of tutsan include: reduced production losses in hill country pastures and forestry reduced invasion of un-infested sites and spread within existing sites reduced control costs to managers of productive and reserved land long-term mitigation of future damage to New Zealand's native ecosystems. Because introduced natural enemies of weeds become permanently established in the environment their effects, including any adverse effects, are widespread and persist from year to year. Introduced natural enemies must therefore be safe if this weed management tactic is to be environmentally acceptable. Significant adverse effects on environmental or economic values would occur if either control agent affected populations of valued native plants by: causing significant damage to non-native plant populations causing significant indirect impacts on native flora and fauna altering ecosystem relationships significantly. Tutsan belongs to the family Hypericaceae. There are four native species in this family. The host range testing presented in the application shows that native plant species will not be at significant risk from the moth or leaf beetle. There are 14 other exotic Hypericum species present in New Zealand. Some may be December 2015 5 Application Summary and Submission Guidance susceptible to incidental damage, but information presented in the application suggests this damage is unlikely to be economically or ecologically significant. No other adverse environmental, economic, cultural or social effects are considered significant. The data from the host range tests, an assessment of the beneficial and adverse effects of the proposal, and the results of consultation are summarised in the application. The data on which this application is based can be found on the Landcare Research website at: http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/science/plants-animals-fungi/plants/weeds/biocontrol/approvals/current- applications. December 2015 6 Application Summary and Submission Guidance Assessment of the application EPA staff assessment of the application Following the close of submissions, EPA staff will complete an assessment of the matters to be considered, using the information in the application, from submitters, and other readily available sources. This Staff Assessment Report will be published on the EPA website and will assist the Decision-making Committee with the consideration of the application. Consideration of the application In considering the application, the Decision-making Committee must take into account a range of matters set out in the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act 1996.