Smooth newts

The smooth newt is a European species with a recently established invasive population in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs. It has the potential to spread with currently unknown ecological impacts. It would likely compete with native amphibians for food and resources as well as being a vector for the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus. They are also salamanders, an order of amphibian not native to Australia, which increases the likelihood of having a highly detrimental impact. 

Currently, there are no government-funded eradication programs for the smooth newt. Due to the potential threat it poses, we are exploring several possible genetic biocontrol options for eradicating the population before it becomes a far more overwhelming problem.