Module 5

Prevention

What is Prevention?

– Minimizing the risk of moving alien species to countries or ecosystems where they may become invasive

Why is Prevention important?

• IAS are a serious problem

– urgent attention to the IAS problem is needed

– prevention is better that the cure

– prevention is most cost-effective (cheapest!)

IAS are a serious problem

• You have seen the impacts IAS have on the

– economy

– environment

– human health

Urgent attention to the IAS problem is needed

• The risks of transferring IAS to new locations increases as more people are travelling and amount of freight is increasing.

Pacific Ocean shipping routes 2003-2003

Prevention is better that the cure

• Once an IAS has established in a new location it can be very difficult, expensive and environmentally damaging to remove.

Prevention is most cost-effective (cheapest!)

• The costs of an efficient and effective prevention system are far less than those of dealing with established IAS populations.

Prevention is the first and best line of defence

Where can Prevention be applied?

• Pre-border (before it leaves a country)

• At the border (before it enters a country)

• Post-border (within a country)

Principles of IAS Prevention

(see workbook)

Approaches and Tools to IAS Prevention

• Legal and Institutional Requirements

• Coordination

• Collating and Sharing Information

• Education and Awareness

Approaches and Tools to IAS Prevention

• Risk Analysis

• Authorization Procedures

• Species List

• Quarantine and Border Control

• Treatment

Legal and Institutional requirements

• These include:

– International conventions

– Treaties

– National laws

– Internal policies

– Protocols

Coordination

• Coordination at international, regional and local levels is essential to develop solutions to common problems.

Collating and Sharing Information

• Information needs to be collected and collated to identify potential IAS.

• Countries and regions should share information that may impact their neighbors.

Education and Awareness

• Public education is critical in the fight against IAS because human activity is the main cause of the problem.

Training people to prevent and control invasive species

Risk Analysis

• Risk analysis is the process of identifying unwanted species introductions, their associated impacts and management strategies.

Risk Analysis

• Applied to species or pathways

• Three main components:

– risk assessment

– risk management

– risk communication

Risk assessment steps

• 1. Identify the proposed species or pathways

Then assess:

• 2. Likelihood of IAS being introduced

• 3. Likelihood of it establishing

• 4. Consequences of establishmentContinued…

Risk assessment steps

• 5. Level of risk posed without management

• 6. Feasibility of managing spread

• 7. Feasibility of managing incursions

• 8. Any residual threat posed

Risk Management

• From the assessment decide whether risk management is required and the treatments required.

Risk Communication

• Clearly communicate to stakeholders information on risk assessment and management options.

• This leads to better understanding and decisions

Authorization Procedures

• Permits and licences are important tools for controlling the movement of alien species between and within countries.

Species List

• To filter the intentional introduction of invasive species, a list system should be applied:

– Black list = bad

– White list = good

– Grey list = unknown

Quarantine and Border Control

• It is vital to improve procedures to intercept IAS at the border and prevent their spread within a country or ecosystem.

Pre border

• Certification• Inspection• IAS proof packaging• Treatment• Pre-quarantine for live plants and animals

• Certification• Treatment• Visual inspection• Remote inspection

- x-ray- sniffer dogs- cameras

• Post-entry quarantine for live plants and animals

Border

Airport quarantine bin

Post border

• Public awareness

• Surveillance

- active trapping

- public surveillance

Pre-planned response programmes

Pre-planned management programmes

Treatment

• Many commodities need to be treated to prevent IAS being introduced.

Summary

• Prevention is the first, best and cheapest line of defence.• Prevention approaches and tools can be implemented

either:- Pre-border- Border- Post-border

• Different organisation and groups of people need education to aid in preventing IAS.

• A comprehensive risk analysis on any species is essential.

If in doubt keep it out!