Both managed and natural ecosystems throughout the world are under siege by a growing number of harmful invasive species--disease organisms, agricultural weeds, destructive insects and others that threaten economic productivity, ecological stability and biodiversity. This problem is growing in severity and geographic extent as global trade and travel accelerate and as ecosystems are disrupted by fragmentation and by global climate change. In spite of the serious impacts of invasives, national and international leaders remain underinformed regarding the scope and gravity of the invasive species problem, and no effective strategy has been developed to enable appropriate solutions.
An international team of biologists, natural resource managers, economists, lawyers and policy makers are developing a global strategy to address the invasive species problem. The team's goal is to enable local, national, and multi-national communities to draw on the best available tools to immediately improve pest prevention and control systems, and to identify priorities for the the development of new tools needed to achieve longer-term success. Further, the program will contribute to the capacity of nation's to fulfill Article 8h of the Convention on Biological Diversity that prescribes that each contracting party should, as far as possible,"prevent the introduction of, control or eradicate those alien species which threaten ecosystems, habitats or species".
With these facts in mind, the Global Invasive Species Program will 1) draw together the best management approaches for pest prevention and control and make these readily accessible to all nations, and, 2) lay the groundwork for new tools in science, information management, education, and policy that must be developed through collaborative international action. In addition this program will assess the current status of the science dealing with invasive species. The overall structure of the program is provided in the following figure and the background motivation for the program follows below. The results of this work will be disseminated via published reports, international meetings, and, especially, through a new network of information exchange and training to be developed as part of this project.
The Global Invasive Species Program is a component of an international program on the science of biodiversity, DIVERSITAS, and is coordinated by SCOPE, Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment, in conjunction with IUCN, UNEP, and CABI with initial financial support from the Global Environmental Facility, UNEP, ICSU and NASA.
Program Structure
The program is guided by an international scientific steering committee composed of the following individuals:
David Andow
James Carlton
Mike Clout
Lyle Glowka
Richard Hobbs
Alan Holt
Peter Jenkins
Mark Lonsdale
Richard Mack
Jeff McNeely*
Harold Mooney**
Charles Perrings
Marcel Rejmanek
David Richardson
Peter Schei*
Jeff Waage*
Mark Williamson
*executive committee, **chair
Each SSC member is responsible for the operation of one of the program components. Each component will call upon a large group of international experts in all of the phases of the project in order to achieve the program goals. The initial phase of this project is three years in which the best practices will be evaluated and new tools developed. This will be followed by an operational phase of the program.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
In recent years there has been increased, and focused, attention on the magnitude and impact of biological invasions (see Drake, et al., 1989, US Congress, 1993 for a global assessment of the problem. It is quite clear that the ecological, economic, and human health consequences of invasives are often staggering. The crisis must be addressed proactively in a holistic context that will provide a strong foundation for international protection from potentially alien invasive species.
The facts outlined below show the urgent importance of addressing this problem in a proactive, holistic context:
1) Invasive species often lead to irreversible species extinctions. They are the second greatest threat to biodiversity globally (after habitat destruction) and the first cause of species extinctions in most island states.
2) Invasives can result in readily accounted-for enormous short-term economic losses within managed ecosystems (crops, in particular) and, hence, the heavy use of chemical, or physical control measures, often with environmentally damaging consequences with longer term economic losses
3) Invasives can also be disruptive of"free" ecosystem services often resulting in drastic, but poorly recognized, economic consequences
4) Modern modes of international transport of goods, as well as the increased volume of international trade, pose a multitude of new threats for the introduction of harmful, invasive, alien species.
5) The quantitative information necessary to make predictions about the impacts of invasives on ecosystems or of their potential trajectories of movement is lacking
6) No broadly agreed-upon principles or guidelines exist for the introduction or exclusion of biological material internationally.
7) Very elaborate and costly constraints have been developed for controlling and monitoring the release of genetically-engineered organisms, to a lesser extent on potential biological control agents; yet, generally no such constraints exist on the introduction of alien species, even though the potential consequences may be extraordinarily high.
The scope and magnitude of the invasives problem is so great that a clear need exists for a global strategy that would complement, reinforce and network the national efforts in a holistic context. It is the realization of this global dimension that stimulated the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biodiversity to encourage the an initiative to develop a global strategy for dealing with invasive species.
The following is an elaboration of the elements needed for developing the strategy:
Assessing the Current Knowledge Base
a) Updating the scientific understanding of the predictability of invasive capacity and potential ecosystem impact of alien species is urgently needed. Specifically, the current human dimensions of the alien invasive species must be addressed, including invasions through time, ethical and cultural concerns relating to invasives, the drivers of invasions, including how globalization trends and institutional structures in all sectors are affecting the mode and tempo of invasions. It is vital to improve our capacity to predict the population dynamics of invaders, including transport, establishment and spread, and to predict which species will become successful. We need to know why certain regions or ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to invasions, such as islands, mediterranean-type ecosystems as well as fresh water and estuary ecosystems. This proposal includes a careful analysis of the current pathways for invaders and the role of modern commerce in creating new pathways, as well as how new international trade agreements and other factors are affecting the invasive problem. Finally, in reviewing the current knowledge base, we must examine how current and projected land use practices and atmospheric and climate global change affect the success of harmful exotic invasions.
Developing New Tools
a) Early Warning Systems
Current global data bases on the distribution and movement of invasive species and their usefulness as early warning systems will be assessed in order to develop the structures for more comprehensive data systems as well as the means to convey this information to all countries and to individual regulatory groups both locally and internationally. Quarantine officials, especially in developing countries, should receive guidelines to the use of scattered existing databases. A current listing must be distributed of the most dangerous and threatening potential invaders of natural ecosystems, and the most threatening pathways, similar to comparable listings for invaders of agricultural systems. A comparable listing of relevant specialists from various nations would expedite exchange of the most effect control methods.
b) Rapid Assessment of the Status of Invaders
We must develop techniques to make rapid assessments of the degree of the success and movement of invaders and of their potential ecosystem impacts. A rapid assessment approach is needed that would evaluate the status of invading species, that could be repeated at intervals, to provide a clear focus on emerging problems, helping to alleviate the crisis management approach to invaders. We must utilize developing technologies for tracking invasives including remote sensing and GIS. This project will synthesize available information to show just how much of the land and water is currently controlled by invasive exotics.
c) Management of Invasives
A number of options exist for invasive species management, including prevention thorough quarantine, eradication, and long-term management, including biological control. Successes in management of alien invasive weeds, invertebrates and vertebrates have been impressive, but this knowledge is not widely distributed..
Where methods do not yet exist, there is exciting research underway, for instance on the management of vertebrates through methods which reduce fertility. We need to develop and validate, through pilot projects, a toolkit of manuals and guidelines for prioritzing invasive problems, design management programs and implement the latest management methods in quarantine, eradication and long-term control. These approaches will stimulate and focus new research on invasive management, and link scientific advances with national needs.
d) Costing the Full Economic Impact of Invasives and of Their Control
While alien species represent globally the second most critical threat to biological diversity, the full economic impact of harmful alien species is not readily appreciated. A full analysis of the economic and environmental costs and benefits of the control (chemical, biological, genetic) of invasives in relation to human economic interests and ecosystem services (e.g. clean and abundant water, clean air, sediment control) needs to be made. Decision making in relation to control of invasives is often made with incomplete information, or is based mainly on simple economics. In recent years our awareness and understanding have increased about the"free services" provided by the components of ecosystems that are of considerable value and that need to be incorporated into full assessments of the impact of invaders as well as in their control. Recent work in South Africa, for example, has shown the considerable economic benefit of hand-control of invasive shrubs due to resultant water savings in reservoirs.
e) Risk Assessment for Deliberate Release of Alien Species
The introduction of alien speices is an important activity for agriculture and other areas of human activity. The growing problem with invasives, however, highlights the risks associated with introductions, and identifies an urgent need to develop methods for assessing the hazards and risks associated with deliberate introduction of species. Concepts of risk recently developed for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and gor biological control introductions (an important tool in alien invasive management) need to be assessd in this context and related to deliberate introduction of horticultural material, animals and other species. This project will prepare such a comparative anlaysis of approaches to environmetal release of organisms and produce guidelines for risk assessment and management in this area.
An analysis of the comparative treatment and concern over the release of genetically-modified organisms (GMO's) versus the release of biocontrol agents and introductions is needed as is the development of a more uniform policy of dealing with exotics and GMO's. In the past, very strict procedures have been imposed for testing of GMO's before they can be"released" for general use. These policies have been prudent and have greatly reduced the possibilities for inadvertent consequences of a release. Similarly, care is taken before the introduction of a potential biocontrol organism to test for its selectivity and effectiveness. Oddly enough, no such care is generally taken prior to the purposeful introduction of horticultural material. What is needed is a comparative analysis of the rationale and effectiveness of the various approaches to the environmental release of exotic material, independent of their origins and purposes. From this analysis tool kits will be developed for the user community.
f) International Agreements Laws, and other Instruments for Dealing with Alien Invasives
Despite the growing acknowledgment that alien species introductions can lead to ecological damage, the consequent loss of biological diversity, as well as potentially huge economic and development losses, introductions appear to be increasing suggesting that legal and institutional measures are inadequate worldwide. International, national and sub-national legal instruments will provide the foundation for any efforts to control the spread of invasive alien species.
Since there is currently no binding global treaty dealing solely with the full spectrum of alien species issues, a knowledge base must be established on existing international instruments, institutions and processes related to invasive alien species. Three categories of instruments, representing a continuum of obligations and guidance will be surveyed and analyzed, 1) global and regional multi-lateral treaties, 2) soft law instruments, and, 3) international and technical guidance documents promulgated by various international organizations. Where secretariats exist to oversee implementation, they will be contacted to identify their respective work programs on alien species to ascertain the efficacy of the instrument.
An analysis of existing legal and institutional approaches on invasive alien species at the national and sub-national level has never been undertaken. Therefore a knowledge base must be established having two sub-components. The first sub-component would be a global survey of existing measures to determine which countries have existing legislation. It would provide a global legal and institutional gap-analysis which could target technical legal services, especially for developing countries. The second sub-component would be a focus country or case study component to analyze in detail the legal and institutional approaches of a small number of countries. This would be undertaken by in-country environmental lawyers and would identify lessons learned.
In addition, the introduction and control of invasive alien species intersects with the legal and institutional approaches designed or being proposed for organisms of quarantine concern as well as genetically modified organisms. Therefore, the feasibility of developing comprehensive approaches to ensuring a country's biosecurity must be analyzed to increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness while building broad scientific, administrative and regulatory capacities..
g) Increase Education About Invasives
Surprisingly, in light of the considerable economic and ecological damage that can result from biotic introductions, a relatively low level effort is being made to educate the public about these consequences. Much can be done through educational programs at all levels. To begin with, the few existing programs to educate the public on issues related to the invasives problem must be evaluated. Operators of international commerce carriers of all sorts, and those in the horticultural, pet trade, and other sectors, as well as tourists, need to be targeted for such education programs. An investment in education could result in a large economic payback if even a fraction of the import of invasive species were curtailed.
There is a vast collective information base about the successes and failures of various methods of eradication and control of invasive species. This information is not readily available globally. There is a need for a mechanism that would make such information readily available and ensure its effective dissemination. There is also a need to develop toolkits for managers in various countries for the application of proven environmentally friendly methods for the control of invasive species.
These education and information dissemination programs would be reinforced by a mechanism to continuously update the priority research needs that would provide the tools for successfully dealing with alien invasive species.
h) Synthesizing the Diverse Responses to this Crisis into a Proactive Prevention and Management Approach
Past responses to invasives problems generally have been crisis-oriented and undertaken by scientists and government officials; this project will take an interdisciplinary, proactive approach to prevention and management. Lawyers, geographers, economists, trade experts, and international environmental policy specialists - in addition to scientists, managers and government officials with expertise - will contribute to a practical strategy to turn the tide against harmful invasives. The project includes numerous cooperative links among the participants and several joint synthesis meetings.
Program Sponsors
The Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP) is coordinated by SCOPE, (the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment), in conjunction with IUCN , CAB International and UNEP. Initial financial support comes from the Global Environment Facility, UNEP, UNESCO, NASA, ICSU, the Fondation Total , and the John T. and Catherine D. MacArthur Foundation. GISP is a component of DIVERSITAS, an international programme of biodiversity science.
For more information on GISP contact Véronique Plocq-Fichelet
SCOPE Secretariat
51, bd de Montmorency
75016 Paris, France
scope@paris7.jussieu.fr
Biological Invasions - A Global Perspective
SCOPE 37. Drake J.A. et al., Editors.
U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. 1993. Harmful Non-Indigenous Species in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.
