Alan Holt - Programme Leader

Individuals, organizations, nations, and multi-lateral bodies remain, unaware of or under-informed regarding the scope and gravity of the global invasives problem. Because of this, the actions of these individuals and groups inadvertently (and, too often, purposely) promote the spread of harmful invasive species. Further, by not being fully aware of the nature of the problem, societies are generally unable to organize effective strategies for pest control. The majority of pest management effort is expended after pests are widely established and the chances of eradication or local containment are very low.

We need to implement an education program which accomplishes two things: 1) It raises awareness among local, national, and multi-lateral communities of the seriousness of the invasives problem and the need for strengthened pest management programs, and 2) It provides these newly-aware communities with practical courses of action to address this problem: namely, how to mount education programs suited to their own communities, and how to target specific pest problems for priority action.

Our first step is to pull together an effective education strategy based on the experiences of national and other groups worldwide. The planning team for the education strategy will be composed of individuals from two broad groups: experts in quarantine/pest management education from within the set of focus countries for the Global Invasives Strategy (India, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, Kenya, Portugal, Mauritius, Czech Republic, U.S., and Philippines). To consolidate expert individuals with relevant education skills used in other applications, such as population growth, disease control, and commercial advertising.

Tasks in progress:

1. Overview of existing education programs at three levels: local community, national, and multi-national. (8-10 pages) This section will describe successes and failures at these three levels, drawing conclusions that support the planning approach utilized in the remainder of the chapter. It will focus on approaches taken, systems for assessing the effectiveness of the approach, and brief assessments of what works, what doesn't, and why. It should also look at examples from other problem areas (population growth, disease control, or commercial advertising) that are challenged to reach both global and local audiences with related messages (possible sources: UNESCO environment program, Zero Population Growth, World Health Organization). This section is intended to help practitioners in any community assess the range of approaches and potential pitfalls in pest management education, and identify sources of advice as they develop their own approaches. It will also build a case for support of education programs.

2. Defining desired outcomes of education and messages to promote these outcomes. This section will establish the broad "measures of success" for the proposed education program, for use by IUCN and other multilateral groups and also as an example of measures for use by practitioners at local and national levels. The Education Team will determine the final list of outcomes and basic messages; the following draft list will be used to initiate team discussion:

Outcome 1: Individuals worldwide take steps to minimize the risk of harmful pest introductions resulting from their own actions (e.g., personal travel, mail order, gardening, business activities, etc.).

Messages:

• Alien pests can harm you and your loved ones physically.

• Alien pests can take the pleasure out of the place you live by eroding its cultural and natural heritage, and reducing the range of enjoyable activities.

• Alien pests can harm you and your community financially.

• If you choose not to comply with quarantine laws, you face stiff penalties.

• There are several simple precautions you can take to reduce the risk of harmful pest introductions.

Outcome 2: Businesses take steps to minimize the risk of harmful pest introductions resulting from their business practices (e.g., compliance with and promotion of pest prevention measures in shipping, awareness training for transportation workers to assist in quarantine and public education programs, avoiding the use of harmful invasives in landscaping, horticulture, agriculture, or other business ventures, etc.).

Messages:

• All of the above.

• Alien pests can deprive your local business of competitive advantage (e.g., Hawaii coffee growers face far fewer pest problems requiring pesticide treatment than do Jamaican coffee growers, or the advantages NZ sheep growers enjoy without hoof and mouth disease).

• By taking steps to voluntarily reduce the risks of pest introduction, businesses can avoid stiffer quarantine regulations, and demonstrate leadership and responsibility as part of their public image.

• Technical advice is available to help implement practical preventive measures for many problem pests. Where no practical solutions exist, your company can contribute to new work that is underway to develop useful tools.

Outcome 3: Non-governmental organizations take steps to minimize the risk of harmful pest introductions resulting from their actions (e.g., botanical gardens and wildlife managers assist in detection and control of pests, NGOs promoting tree planting utilize appropriate local or non-invasive species, etc.)

Messages:

• All of the above.

• Your organization can fulfill its mission more effectively by helping to prevent the spread of harmful invasives.

Outcome 4: Governments take steps to minimize the risk of harmful pest introductions resulting from their laws and policies (e.g., review and improvement of quarantine laws, support of multilateral pest prevention agreements, etc.).

Messages:

• All of the above.

• Other nations enjoy competitive advantages because of their successes in preventing pest introductions.

• Other desired trading partners/allies require high-quality quarantine programs of any nation wishing to work with them.

• Outcome 5: The World Trade Organization, World Health Organization, and other multi-laterals promoting international collaboration promote the Global Invasives Strategy as an integral component of their own missions.

Messages:

The only practical way to address the invasives problem as a serious obstacle to globalization of trade and improved standards of living is to promote effective pest management as a requirement of all participant nations.

3. Defining and reaching target audiences.

1) define specific target audiences for IUCN or other global players to address in order to educate "planetary leadership" about alien pest threats (e.g., WTO, OECD), 2) describe an approach that participating communities can use to defining key audiences at local and national levels, and 3) describe and budget for a set of educational vehicles (publications, film, teaching programs, etc.) to reach these audiences with the messages outlined in the previous section. This chapter should describe and budget for wide-audience vehicles that can be funded multilaterally and made available to a wide range of communities and settings, and give adequate guidelines for educational programs that must be locally/nationally designed and funded. It will provide a timetable of specific actions, assign responsibilities to specific parties, and include a budget.

4. Assessing the effectiveness of education efforts.

This section will describe a set of mechanisms to be established for monitoring audience awareness and opinion on key concepts and proposals, and assessing the effectiveness of particular education vehicles. It will include timetable of specific actions, assignments, and budget.

Proposed Products

1. Overview of existing education programs at three levels: local community, national, and multi-national.

2. Defining desired outcomes of education and messages to promote these outcomes.

3. Defining and reaching target audiences.

4. Assessing the effectiveness of education efforts.