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14/11

Invasive alien species

Date: 17-11-2018
Treaty
Convention on Biological Diversity
Meeting
Fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Type
Decision
Status
Active

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Keywords
Invasive alien species

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The Conference of the Parties,
Recognizing the growth in e-commerce in invasive alien species and the need for collaboration to minimize the associated risks,
Also recognizing the adverse impacts of invasive alien species on biological diversity and its components, especially vulnerable ecosystems, such as wetlands and mangroves, islands and Arctic regions, as well as social aspects and economic and cultural values, including those associated with indigenous peoples and local communities,
Recalling decision XII/16,
1.Welcomes decision 6/1 of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, in which the Plenary approved, among other things, the undertaking of a thematic assessment of invasive alien species and their control, taking into account Aichi Biodiversity Target 9;
2.Also welcomes the supplementary voluntary guidance for avoiding unintentional introductions of invasive alien species associated with trade in live organisms annexed to the present decision;
3.Encourages Parties and invites other Governments and relevant sectors and organizations to make use of the supplementary voluntary guidance for avoiding unintentional introductions of invasive alien species associated with trade in live organisms;
4.Takes note of the work undertaken by other specialized expert organizations and initiatives:
(a)The outcomes of the Global Taxonomy Initiative Forum held on 16 November 2018 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt,1 which also addresses capacity-building needs to identify alien species;1See CBD/COP/14/INF/12/Add.1.
(b)The report of the Invasive Species Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature on the application of classical biological control for the management of established invasive alien species causing environmental impacts;22See CBD/COP/14/INF/9.
(c)The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species developed by the Global Invasive Alien Species Information Partnership;
5.Decides, subject to the availability of resources, to establish an Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group, with the terms of reference contained in annex II to the present decision, which will meet as needed to ensure timely provision of advice on achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 9, and, wherever possible, meet back-to-back with other relevant meetings, and requests the Executive Secretary to convene a moderated open online discussion forum to support the deliberations of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group;
6.Requests the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice to consider the results of the online forum and the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group at a meeting to be held prior to the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;
7.Encourages Parties and invites other Governments to share information on national regulations, that are relevant to invasive alien species, as well as regional regulations, technical guidelines and best practices and lists on invasive alien species, through the clearing-house mechanism or other equivalent means;
8.Encourages Parties and invites other Governments and relevant organizations to cooperate with the business sector in order to address the issue of invasive alien species, and invite them to explore new opportunities that promote activities for achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 9, particularly in the areas of financial support and technical cooperation, and communication, education and public awareness on invasive alien species;
9.Encourages Parties and invites other Governments and relevant expert organizations to promote data mobilization to, for example, the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species produced through the Global Invasive Alien Species Information Partnership, and by supporting the development of the Environmental Impact Classification of Alien Taxa by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, as appropriate, and in line with national capacity;
10.Urges Parties and other Governments to coordinate with the authorities responsible for customs, border controls, and sanitary and phytosanitary measures and other relevant competent bodies at the national and regional levels, to prevent unintentional introductions of invasive alien species associated with trade in live organisms;
11.Encourages Parties and invites other Governments:
(a)To develop and share a list of regulated invasive alien species, based on the results of risk analysis, where appropriate;
(b)To share information on the occurrences of invasive alien species in the areas of conservation importance;
(c)To collaborate to prevent new introduction and spread of those species of concern;
12.Recognizes that further work on the impacts of invasive alien species on the social aspects, economic and cultural values of indigenous peoples and local communities is imperative and should be carried out in close cooperation with indigenous peoples and local communities, and encourages further work on the classification by the International Union for Conservation of Nature of the impact of invasive alien species on social aspects, economic and cultural values;
13.Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources:
(a)To explore with the Secretariat of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, the World Customs Organization and the Inter-agency Liaison Group on Invasive Alien Species the possibility of developing asystem of classification and labelling, consistent and in harmony with international agreements, for consignments of living organisms that pose a hazard or risk to biological diversity related to invasive alien species, supplementary to and in line with existing international standards, and to report on progress to the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice at a meeting to be held prior to the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;
(b)To facilitate the work of the online forum and the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group referred to in paragraph 5 above, by preparing a compilation and synthesis of the submissions and discussions;
(c)To further facilitate development and use of the information on the pathways of introduction and their impact, in collaboration with the Global Invasive Alien Species Information Partnership, taking into account the necessity of monitoring the flow of alien species sold via e-commerce;
14.Encourages the Global Environment Facility, other donors and funding agencies to provide financial assistance, including capacity-building activities, for national and regional projects that are relevant to invasive alien species.
Annex ISupplementary Voluntary Guidance For Avoiding Unintentional Introductions Of Invasive Alien Species Associated With Trade In Live Organisms
1.The present guidance supplements the Guidance on Devising and Implementing Measures to Address the Risks Associated with the Introduction of Alien Species as Pets, Aquarium and Terrarium Species, and as Live Bait and Live Food annexed to decision XII/16.
2.The purpose of this guidance is to minimize the risk of biological invasion of alien species crossing the borders of national jurisdiction and distinct biogeographic areas through the unintentional introduction pathways described in the CBD pathway categorization in association with trade in live organisms.
3.This guidance is relevant to States, relevant organizations, industry and consumers, including all actors involved in the entire value chain of trade in live organisms (e.g. exporters, importers, breeders, including amateur collectors, participants of exhibitions, and wholesalers, retailers and customers). For the case of live food trade, the persons involved in the value chain also include individuals in the business of restaurants and food markets.
I. - Scope
4.This guidance is voluntary and intended to be used in conjunction with, and be mutually supportive to, other relevant guidance, for example: the Guiding Principles for the Prevention, Introduction and Mitigation of Impacts of Alien Species that Threaten Ecosystems, Habitats and Species (decision VI/23);3 the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs); the Terrestrial Animal Health Code and the Manual of Diagnostic Test and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE); the OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code and the Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals and other standards and guidance developed by relevant international organizations.3One representative of a Party entered a formal objection during the process leading to the adoption of this decision and underlined that he did not believe that the Conference of the Parties could legitimately adopt a motion or a text with a formal objection in place. A few representatives expressed reservations regarding the procedure leading to the adoption of this decision (see UNEP/CBD/COP/6/20, paras. 294-324).
5.This guidance also describes integrated processes for its implementation together with the guidance annexed to decision XII/16 and existing international standards set for the protection of biodiversity, and the health of animals, plants and humans.
6.This guidance can be implemented by Parties and other Governments with cross-sectoral collaboration among conservation authorities, border control authorities, and risk regulatory bodies relevant to international trade as well as relevant industries and consumers who are involved in the value chain of trade in live organisms.
II. - Measures to reduce the risk of invasive alien species moving unintentionally in pathways associated with trade in live organisms
A. - Conformity with existing international standards and other guidance relevant to invasive alien species
7.For all animals or animal products contained in a consignment of live organisms, the appropriate sanitary standards developed through the standard-setting processes of the World Organisation for Animal Health should be used to harmonize national measures, in both exporting and importing countries.
8.For all plants or plant products, including any soil, leaf litter, straw, or other substrates, hay, seeds, fruit or other sources of food contained in a consignment of live organisms, the appropriate phytosanitary standards developed through the standard-setting processes of the International Plant Protection Convention should be used to harmonize national measures in both exporting and importing countries.
9.A sender/exporter of live organisms should demonstrate that the commodity being exported, including its associated shipping materials (for example, water, food, bedding), poses no sanitary or phytosanitary risk to the importing country’s biodiversity. This may be communicated to the national border authority of importing country by presenting a certificate issued by the exporting veterinary authority/competent authority for animals, or by presenting a phytosanitary certificate issued by the exporting national plant protection organization for plants in an exporting country, in accordance with national import regulations, which are based on pest risk analysis.
10.Carrier conveyances for consignments of live organisms should meet existing international guidance established under international organizations, such as the Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code) of the International Maritime Organization/International Labour Organization/United Nations Economic Commission for Europe,4 but should not be limited to this.4https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/doc/2014/wp24/CTU_Code_January_2014.pdf
B. - Responsible preparation of consignments of live organisms
11.A sender/exporter of live organisms should be fully aware of the potential risks of biological invasions resulting from the movement of alien species through unintentional pathways associated with trade in live organisms and should ensure:
(a)that a consignment meets sanitary and phytosanitary requirements set by an importing country
(b)compliance with national and regional regulations on the import and export of invasive alien species; and
(c)measures to minimize the risk of unintentional introductions are applied.
12.A sender/exporter of a consignment of live organisms should inform the importer/receiver of the potential risks of biological invasion by alien species on a document attached to the consignment containing live organisms, addressed to the border control authorities, national plant protection organizations or veterinary authorities. In some cases, this information should be presented to the competent authorities in the country or countries of transit, in order to allow the adoption of appropriate risk management measures during transit.
13.A sender/exporter of live organism should apply all appropriate sanitary and phytosanitary measures to ensure that the live organisms are shipped free of pests, pathogenic agents and alien organisms which may carry risks of biological invasions in an importing country or biogeographic areas receiving them.
C. - Packing containers/consignment
14.Each consignment should be appropriately labelled as a “potential risk to biodiversity” when applicable, taking into account the risk of biological invasions that may be posed by the live organisms associated with the consignment, by a sender/exporter, especially when the live organisms were captured or collected from the wild, to inform the persons involved in the entire value chain of the potential risks to biodiversity.
15.Packing material or containers associated with the movement of live organisms should be free of pests, pathogenic agents and invasive alien species which are of concern to the importing country, country of transit or biogeographic areas concerned. If the packing material is made from wood, appropriate treatment described in ISPM 15 (Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade) as well as other national and regional regulations should be applied.
16.If a packing container is to be reused, it should be washed and disinfected by a sender/exporter prior to shipping and visually inspected prior to reusing.
17.Packing containers for aquatic species should be closed appropriately by a sender/exporter to prevent leaks of water(s) and/or contamination into or from the consignment during the transport along the entire value chain.
D. - Materials associated within packing containers
18.A sender/exporter of live organisms should ensure that, prior to shipping, animal bedding is treated with appropriate method(s) to ensure that it is free of pests, pathogenic agents and invasive alien species which are of concern to an importing country, countries of transit or biogeographic areas concerned.
19.Water(s) for aquatic live organisms and any associated media to be used during transport should be free of pests, pathogenic agents and invasive alien species which are of concern to an importing country or biogeographic areas receiving them and should be treated as required.
20.Air and air supplying devices associated with consignments of aquatic organisms should be free of pests, pathogenic agents and invasive alien species which are of concern to an importing country or biogeographic areas receiving them.
21.Any soil or soil-related materials associated with the transport of live organisms should be eliminated by a sender/exporter prior to shipping. If soil or soil-related materials cannot be eliminated from the packing containers, the sender/exporter should consult the import regulations of the national plant protection organization of the importing country and comply with them.
E. - Feed or food for live animals
22.A sender/exporter of live organisms should ensure that any feed or food contained in a consignment does not consist of viable seeds, parts of plants or animals that maintain the potential of establishment at the destination. Senders/exporters should ensure that the feed or food is free of pests, pathogenic agents and invasive alien species which are of concern to an importing country, countries of transit or biogeographic areas concerned.
F. - Treatment of by-products, waste, waters and media
23.By-products and waste produced during the transport of live organisms should be removed from the consignment and treated or eliminated as soon as possible on arrival in the receiving country. The recipient of the consignment should apply appropriate treatment, including disinfection,5 incineration, rendering, autoclaving, or other measures on packing containers, other associated materials, by-products and waste prior to their disposal in order to minimize the risks posed by invasive alien species.5Disinfection means the application, after thorough cleansing, of procedures intended to destroy the infectious or parasitic agents of animal diseases, including zoonoses; this applies to premises, vehicles and different objects which may have been directly or indirectly contaminated (OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code).
G. - Condition of carrier conveyances
24.If live organisms are expected to be loaded or have been previously loaded, the owners and operators of the carrier conveyances should ensure that the conveyances are washed, disinfected or otherwise appropriately treated. The owners of carrier conveyances should take responsible measures to apply the treatment immediately upon the arrival of a carrier conveyance at a destination and maintain the treated condition until the next use.
25.Prior to an operation, a carrier conveyance should be inspected to determine its sanitary and phytosanitary condition to ensure that unintentional introduction of pests, pathogenic agents and invasive alien species is minimized.
26.In the event of escape of live organisms, accidental spillage or leaks from a consignment, the owner and operators of the carrier conveyance should take necessary measures to recapture and contain the live organisms and alien species attached to them and immediately notify the appropriate authorities of that country of any escape of live organisms, accidental spillage or leaks from a consignment. The owners and operators of carrier conveyances should wash the carrier conveyance and disinfect or treat it appropriately, and inform relevant national authorities in the affected country (county of transit or destination) about the nature of the escape, spillage or leak and the measures taken by the owners or operators of the carrier conveyance.
H. - Role of the receiver/importer
27.A receiver/importer should be aware of import requirements set by the importing country and ensure that the import requirements are met. The importer should inform the appropriate authorities, if the consignment is contaminated, to ensure that the necessary measures are taken to contain and dispose of the contaminants.
I. - Role of States and national authorities in relation to invasive alien species
28.It is recommended that relevant records of consignments containing live organisms, imported to a country be collected and maintained with regard to senders/exporters, recipients/importers, the species name, and the origin of the organisms or commodity. If contaminants have been detected in the consignment, measures taken to prevent introduction and spread of invasive alien species, pests and pathogens and the health status of the animal and the phytosanitary conditions of the plant should also be recorded.
29.States should apply appropriate national border risk management measures in accordance with existing international guidance and national regulations and policy to minimize the risk of unintentional introduction of invasive alien species associated with trade in live organisms.
30.States may encourage the use of DNA sequence based taxonomic identification technologies, such as DNA barcoding, as tools for the identification of alien species of concern to the State.
31.When invasive alien species unintentionally enter or become established, relevant authorities should be notified, including, as appropriate, environmental authorities, the veterinary authority/competent authority and the national plant protection organization, to ensure that the exporting or re-exporting country, neighbouring countries and countries of transit are informed of the event in order to prevent the further spread of the invasive alien species.
32.States, in cooperation with relevant organizations, should make information freely available to the public on:
(a)import requirements for trade in live organisms and other relevant national and regional regulations and policies related to invasive alien species; and
(b)results of pathway risk analysis, if they have been undertaken.
33.States that receive live organisms, their subnational governments, relevant organizations and industry involved in trade with live organisms should raise awareness on the risk of unintentional introduction of pests, pathogenic agents and invasive alien species to persons involved in the entire value chain. This includes awareness-raising campaigns using case studies of biological invasions resulting from unintentional introduction of invasive alien species directed at the public, potential operators (amateur breeders, etc.) and persons involved in the entire value chain.
J. - Monitoring
34.States should conduct monitoring of invasive alien species which can unintentionally arrive in their territories, particularly in susceptible areas (e.g. ports, cross-docking and warehousing facilities, off-dock container yards, connected roads and railways) where their entry, establishment and early stage of spreading may occur.
35.When unintentional introduction in susceptible areas is observed, States should intensify the monitoring of invasive alien species in nearby areas where there are concerns about protecting biodiversity, and carry out rapid responses to contain, control and, where possible, eradicate the invasive alien species.
36.States should monitor in-country movement and spread of invasive alien species introduced unintentionally with the import of live organisms in collaboration with subnational or local authorities in order to minimize the impact of invasive alien species and their spread.
K. - Other measures
37.Any national risk management measures regarding unintentional introduction pathways in exporting and importing countries, and codes of conduct set by international bodies related to shipping and delivery services, may apply within the scope of this voluntary supplementary guidance.
38.The risks of unintentionally moving other species as contaminants, for example, in bedding materials, or in the shipping container and associated conveyances, as food or feed, should be considered in the risk assessment of a live organism intended to be imported for use as pets, aquarium and terrarium species, and as live bait and live food.
Annex IITerms of reference for the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Invasive Alien Species
1.The Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Invasive Alien Species will address matters that are not covered by the assessment of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Building on the work of the moderated online forum, and knowledge and experience accumulated in various different sectors, the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group shall provide advice or develop elements of technical guidance on management measures on invasive alien species to be implemented by broad sectors to facilitate achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 9 and beyond:
(a)Methods for cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis which best apply to the management of invasive alien species;
(b)Methods, tools and measures for identification and minimization of additional risks associated with cross-border e-commerce in live organisms and the impacts thereof;
(c)Methods, tools and strategies for the management of invasive alien species as it relates to prevention of potential risks arising from climate change and associated natural disasters and land use changes;
(d)Risk analysis on the potential consequences of the introduction of invasive alien species on social, economic and cultural values;
(e)Use of existing databases on invasive alien species and their impacts, to support risk communication.
2.Subject to the availability of resources, the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group shall meet prior to the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties in accordance with the modus operandi of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice.6 The Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group should be composed of experts that have actively contributed to the process of the moderated online discussion forum in fields relevant to paragraph 1 of the present terms of reference, including with the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples and local communities and small island developing States, taking into account their experiences to address risks posed by invasive alien species on social, economic and cultural values, and vulnerable biodiversity in island ecosystems, respectively.6Decision VIII/10,