2009 was never going to be an easy year for GISP starting, as it did, in the absence of any core funding from external donors. Nonetheless, it proved to be a particularly exciting year, in which considerable progress was made towards achieving its goal, new project funding was secured, new partnerships were developed and new reports were published. GISP welcomed a new Chairman of its Executive Board, Dr William Jackson (Deputy Director General of IUCN) and 2009 culminated in the recruitment of GISP’s new Policy Director, a new GISP presence in Washington DC and the publication of a groundbreaking scientific paper on global indicators of biological invasion, to widespread media acclaim.

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A national strategy for invasive alien species was approved after deliberations by the Technical Assessment Chamber of the National Biodiversity Commission – CONABIO. This Chamber is composed of the Ministries of Environment, Agriculture, Health, Fisheries, and Transportation; other governmental agencies as the National Health Authority, the National Agency for the Environment, Botanical and Zoological Societies, National Agriculture Confederation, and the Horus Institute for Environmental Conservation and Development.

The strategy is structured as:

• General guidelines on the role of federal and state governments, education and public information, research and monitoring
• Prevention for the introduction of new species, regional collaboration, and information exchange Intentional and accidental introduction of species
• Mitigation of impacts, focusing on contention, eradication and control
• Implementation, covering management and priorities for implementation of the national strategy (actions on prevention, early detection and rapid response, contention, eradication, control and monitoring, production of scientific knowledge, capacity building, education and public awareness).

For more information, please contact Silvia Ziller, GISP’s Director for Latin America, at s.ziller@gisp.org

Gland, Switzerland (IUCN) – Invasive Alien Species, ranging from disease and plants, to rats and goats, are one of the top three threats to life on this planet, according to a new publication coordinated by the Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP), of which IUCN is a partner.

Most countries have made international commitments to tackle this threat, but only half have introduced relevant legislation and even fewer are taking adequate action on the ground.

The publication, “Global indicators of biological invasion: species numbers, biodiversity impact and policy responses”, looked at 57 countries and found that, on average, there are 50 non-indigenous species per country which have a negative impact on biodiversity. The number of invasive alien species ranged from nine in Equatorial Guinea to 222 in New Zealand.

A total of 542 species were documented as invasive aliens, including 316 plants, 101 marine organisms, 44 freshwater fish, 43 mammal, 23 bird and 15 amphibian species. According to Prof. Melodie McGeoch, lead author on the publication and member of the Centre for Invasion Biology, these numbers are a significant underestimate. “We showed that regions with low development status and little investment in research have lower than expected numbers of invasive aliens”. An increase in the number and spread of alien species, which adversely affect the habitats they invade, is nonetheless attributed to a substantial rise in international trade over the past 25 years.

“While some threatened species on the IUCN Red List have improved in status as a result of successful control or eradication of invasive alien species, a growing number are more threatened owing to increasing spread and threats from non-indigenous species,” says Dr Stuart Butchart from BirdLife International. “This shows that although we are winning some battles in the fight against invasive species, current evidence suggests that we are losing the war.”

“It’s likely to be more cost effective to prevent the spread of invasive species in the first place than to tackle the biodiversity crisis once they have become established,” says Dr Bill Jackson, IUCN’s Deputy Director General and Chairman of GISP. “With sufficient funds and political will, invasive species can be controlled or eradicated. This will allow native species to be saved from extinction, but countries need to dramatically improve the way they deal with the problem.” more...

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The conference was sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, CAB International; and organised by the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University and Fujian Academy of Agriculture Sciences, in collaboration with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, CSIRO, Kansas State University, USDA APHIS, FAO IAEA, the Chinese Society of Plant Protection and GISP, with additional support provided by The Crawford Fund and AusAID (www.icbi2009.org)

IBCI 2009 concluded with unanimous support for the, ‘Fuzhou Declaration’ which has 3 main outcomes as follows:

• Calls on Governments, International Organisations and Conventions to reaffirm their commitment to implementing Article 8h of the CBD.
• Establishes an International Expert Group on Biological Invasions to provide scientific, technical and policy guidance to ICBI
• Recommends that ICBI becomes a regular international event on biological invasions (4 year interval)

The state of Parana, in the South of Brazil, has been a pioneer in developing a Program and an Official List on Invasive Alien Species. On 7 Oct 2009, the Program was granted environmental recognition through the Expression in Ecology Award. The award is granted by a Publishing Company, Expressão (since 1993), with support from the Ministry of Environment. It was created to promote environmental action by private companies, but expanded to cover the work of NGOs and governmental agencies. An annual publication is printed on the activities and prize winners. The prize will be delivered to the State Environmental Agency (Instituto Ambiental do Paraná) in the coming days.

For more information, see www.expressao.com.br/ecologia (Portuguese)

Back among the ranks of invasive species warriors, Stas Burgiel (PhD) has recently joined the GISP Secretariat as the new Policy Director. Stas has more the 15 years experience with international environmental policy issues and has worked with a range of non-governmental, inter-governmental and governmental organizations. Based out of Washington, DC, Stas will build on GISP’s past policy efforts through cross-sectoral engagement with international and regional organizations. With a long history of involvement with the CBD and other multilateral environmental agreements, Stas plans to strengthen ties with the trade, transport, agriculture and health communities to develop necessary guidance and support capacity building efforts. At the regional level, Stas will continue efforts to enhance collaboration to manage invasive species threats in major island regions (e.g., Caribbean, Coral Triangle, Europe/Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean) in conjunction with a project spearheaded by the government of New Zealand and the Nature Conservancy. Stas will also serve as the contact point for outreach and engagement with North American invasive species institutions and experts.

Stas received his doctorate from the School of International Service at the American University in Washington, DC, where he focused on the intersection of international environmental and trade policies.

Mr Arne Witt, Technical Director, GISP; Minister for Environment and Mineral Resources, Kenya, Hon. John Michuki; and Dr Dennis Rangi, Chairman, GISP

The theme for the International Day on Biological Diversity (IDB) in 2009 was invasive alien species (IAS) - one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, and to the ecological and economic well-being of society and the planet. Many Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and those dealing with IAS, used this opportunity to raise awareness of the issue and increase practical action to tackle the problem. In Kenya, GISP and UNEP joined forces to support an exhibition and press conference on invasive species hosted by the Kenyan Agricultural Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.

 

Developed by Dr Peter Stoett (right), Associate Professor and Chair of Department of Political Science at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, and his team; with sponsorship provided by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Peter and his team recognised the vital role of policy co-ordination in tackling invasive species! Since international efforts to co-ordinate policy formulation and to measure outcomes must be based on adequate information, they have developed this database to provide awareness of the policy designs in place in many of the countries under threat from invasive species, from Albania to Zimbabwe! While there are several databases devoted to the identification and description of Invasive Species, there are few databases which explicate the policies that have been developed to combat them.

This database examines the following questions:

1. What government legislature, programs and projects relating to IAS have been developed, completed or in progress?
2. What governmental department, agencies or ministries does the responsibility to manage invasive species fall under?
3. How are countries cooperating with each other to deal with IAS?

View Database on Invasive Species Policy here

We welcome feedback from GISP’s stakeholders and if you wish to contribute or update any of the data provided, please direct questions/comments to either Dr Peter Stoett on pstoett@alcor.concordia.ca or Dr Sarah Simons, Executive Director, GISP on s.simons@gisp.org.

This publication constitutes the Proceedings of an Expert Workshop on Preventing Biological Invasions: Best Practices in Pre-Import Risk Screening for Species of Live Animals in International Trade, which was held at the University of Notre Dame, USA, 9-11 April 2008. The workshop was organised by the Global Invasive species Programme (GISP), the Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG) of the Species Survival Commission of IUCN and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD), in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame and Defenders of Wildlife.

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Following a successful workshop held earlier this year at IUCN-ESARO, Nairobi, Kenya, IUCN, one of GISP’s Partner Organisations, has developed Draft Guidelines on Biofuels and Invasive Species, which are currently out for further consultation. Please send comments or suggestions to energy@iucn.org by 31 August 09.

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The theme for the International Day on Biological Diversity (IDB) in 2009 is invasive alien species (IAS) - one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, and to the ecological and economic well-being of society and the planet. Designation of IDB 2009 on the theme of invasive alien species provides Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and those dealing with IAS, opportunity to raise awareness of the issue and increase practical action to tackle the problem.

Go to http://www.cbd.int/ibd/

• What they are and why they are a problem
• Causes and impacts of invasive alien species
• Examples of invasive alien species
• The CBD and invasive alien species
• Tackling the problem
• Celebrating the International Day for Biological Diversity
• References
  
  
  

Download promotional posters on invasive species here…

http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/Conventions/Bern/GoE_IAS/

The Bern Convention created in 1992 a specialised group of experts called “Group of Experts on Invasive Alien Species”. One of the main products of the Group was the European Strategy on IAS. The group of experts meets every two years to check progress in implementation and propose new ideas…

• European Strategy on IAS
• Bern Convention Activities on IAS
• Meetings

The workshop was a first step to including invasive species issues into the wider Managing Biodiversity Risks of Biofuels project and focused on avoiding, mitigating and managing the risks of invasion posed by commercial scale biofuel developments in Africa. The workshop convened experts from regional governments, plant protection organisations, research institutions, NGOs and the private sector to identify risks along the biofuel production and supply chain and weaknesses with current regulations. The workshop was used to develop a framework for guidelines for the prevention and management of invasion related to biofuels developments. It is hoped that the guidelines will be adopted by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) and others in the future. More…see Workshop Summary

Following the recently concluded meeting of the Scientific Committee (SC) of DIVERSITAS, held at the US National Academy of Sciences, Washington D.C. (6-8 February 2009), GISP is pleased to announce a new phase in its partnership with DIVERSITAS International (www.diversitas-international.org). The agreement means that DIVERSITAS will now be formally represented on GISP’s Executive Board (Dr Mark Lonsdale, currently on the Executive Board, and also a member of the Diversitas SC, will fulfil that role initially) (right) and GISP will be represented on the SC-DIVERSITAS ex officio to ensure that much needed links between the science, policy and information on invasive species are strengthened ahead of the international year of biodiversity (2010)!

Professor Hal Mooney, Chair, DIVERSITAS Science Committee & Paul S. Achilles Professor of Environmental Science, Stanford University & former Chair of GISP (left) said, ‘We really needed to see the relationship on a new footing. GISP is a doorway through which international policy makers and land managers can communicate their knowledge needs on invasives to our scientists. In turn scientists can feed their latest research findings to the places where they can have most impact.’

The next SC-DIVERSITAS meeting will take place 11-12 Oct 2009 in Cape Town, ahead of the DIVERSITAS 2nd Open Science Conference (OSC2) on Biodiversity and Society: understanding connections, adaptions, 13-16 October 2009. More…

The meeting was followed by a 2-day, National Academies Symposium on the Science and Policy for Managing the Living World Two Centuries after Darwin entitled, 21st Century Ecosystems: Systemic Risk and the Public Good, organised by the U.S. National Committee for DIVERSITAS & the Board on International Scientific Science Organisations of the National Research Council. The programme included some excellent presentations on aspects of invasive species www.4site.tv/NAS/agenda.pdf

As part of its specific initiative on invasive alien species (IAS) in the French overseas territories carried out since 2005, the IUCN French Committee has just launched a new website dedicated to the topic. This site gathers data from all French overseas territories, collected via a network of more than 100 experts and key stakeholders, with the support of 12 local coordinators. This new tool provides access to a lot of scientific, technical an legal information on these species and the strategies to better manage them.

The site especially allows access to:

• all the results of the initiative and in particular the comprehensive synthesis carried out on IAS in French overseas territories (including an inventory of IAS, their impacts, management projects, research programmes…);
• an analysis of the legal framework and recommendations to improve regulations, prevention and anticipation ;
• a database gathering information on more than 600 invasive or potentially invasive species ;
• a bibliographic database with more that 400 references on the topic ;
• a direct access to the national legislation and to the list of local rules dealing with IAS ;
• many useful documents available to download (booklets, strategies, reports…) ;
• a list of websites addresses of interest ;
• and many contacts of experts and key stakeholders on this issue.

Welcome on the website: www.especes-envahissantes-outremer.fr

For more information, please contact:
Yohann Soubeyran, IUCN French Committee, IAS Project Officer, yohann.soubeyran@uicn.fr

CABI works across the research-development spectrum finding solutions to agricultural, forestry and environmental pest problems - including invasive weeds, plant pathogens, phytophagous insects and plant-parasitic nematodes. CABI has regional centres in Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Switzerland, Malaysia, Pakistan and Kenya and conducts work in more than sixty countries.

CABI identifies and screens for biological control agents, including insects and fungi, to manage weeds, such as Himalayan Balsam and Japanese knotweed in Europe, more than ten weeds in North America including successes against leafy spurge, Dalmation toadflax, purple loosestrife, houndstongue and knapweeds, and rubber vine and mile-a-minute weed in tropical Australia and Asia, respectively. Water hyacinth is present in Asia, Africa and southern Europe and clogs waterways amongst many other detrimental features. More…
For more information please visit www.cabi.org

GISP and the International Ocean Institute (IOI) - an international NGO which promotes the sustainable use, management and conservation of the World’s oceans, and upholds the principles of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (www.ioinst.org), have recently signed a MoU to facilitate co-ordination and implementation of GISP’s Programme on Marine Invasive Species (MIS).

IOI-South Africa (IOI-SA) has been designated the network-wide focal point for marine invasive species, and the Director IOI-SA, Adnan Awad has also been appointed as GISP’s Technical Director, MIS.

CABI has just finished a hectic year in developing the Invasive Species Compendium. To date the development has focussed on building the content management and editorial systems as well as compiling datasheets on invasive species, including information on their biology, management and impact. The project is on track to be delivered in 2010 and by then we will have a content rich resource with query based search facilities and many other features, including weekly updates of a subset of the CAB Abstracts database.

The GEF-funded 2010 BIP Project, in which GISP is a Key Indicator Partner launches its website www.twentyten.net