STATEMENT ON INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES

STATEMENT ON INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES

13th Meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 13)
Rome, Italy


The Southeast Asia Regional Initiatives for Community Empowerment or SEARICE is a regional NGO working on agricultural biodiversity, specifically plant genetic resources conservation, development and use, in the Philippines, Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam and Bhutan. We commend the Secretariat in presenting to us the document at hand, and we would like to put forth four points that we believe would matter in the discussion of invasive alien species as it relates and impacts on agricultural biodiversity.



1. We urge the Parties to continue taking on the precautionary and preventive approach as regards invasive alien species.

2. There is concern and also a need to address invasive alien species that have already been introduced. In this regard, the parties should consider assessment, monitoring and reduction of the continued impact of already introduced alien species, which include introduced crops for biofuels which displace agricultural crops.

3. The parties should also recognize present initiatives and practices of farmers and local communities in addressing and reducing the threats and risks already presented by invasive species that have been introduced in affecting present agricultural biodiversity.

4. Finally, we put forth the need to monitor the introduction of invasive alien species intended to “improve” genetic traits of agricultural animals and crops that may enter through trade, noting that this should also be a matter of concern under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.