Weeds are among the greatest threats to Australia’s biodiversity. In NSW, over 80 per cent of threatened plants listed under the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 are impacted by weeds. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is responsible for managing weeds on national park estate, safeguarding assets (e.g., native populations, threatened species, ecological communities, cultural heritage, visitor infrastructure) and fulfilling biosecurity obligations. NPWS applies strategic, integrated weed management of priority weed threats. Outcomes are maximised through a risk-based approach that balances reducing the impacts of existing weeds and preventing future impacts from high-risk new and emerging weeds, with a focus on threatened species conservation. The Weed Control Priority Plan (Weed CPP) provides the framework for implementation of NPWS weed management strategic control actions. Management programs are defined and their target weeds, assets, objective, drivers and control methods articulated. The Weed CPP guides consistent, effective, and efficient weed control and prioritises on-ground control programs to deliver NPWS priorities, such as those in the NPWS Threatened Species Framework. NPWS plans also consider and align with local, regional, and state plans to support achievement of landscape-scale outcomes in NSW, such as containment outcomes of the NSW Bitou bush Biosecurity Zone. They include foundational activities, such as monitoring, research and adaptive management, which are needed to support effective on-ground weed control. The Weed CPP is developed for a five-year period and reviewed annually. To support CPP implementation, NPWS is developing weed data collection standards and monitoring protocols to guide standardised monitoring, data collection and analysis. Together these tools guide investment, inform operational decision-making, and facilitate adaptive management. This presentation outlines the strategic approaches, and the methodologies used to develop and implement them to achieve the greatest benefits for threatened species and biodiversity.

Keywords: prioritisation, plans, strategies, collaboration