XIII/5. Invasive alien species: report on consultations regarding international standards
The Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice recommends that the Conference of the Parties adopts, at its ninth meeting, a decision along the following lines:
The Conference of the Parties,
Recalling its decision VIII/27, and welcoming the consultations undertaken by the Executive Secretary, as requested in paragraph 14 of that decision,
Reaffirming the need to address the gaps identified by the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Gaps and Inconsistencies in the International Regulatory Framework in Relation to Invasive Alien Species (UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/11/INF/4) and considered in decision VIII/27,
1. Reaffirms the need for Parties and other Governments to develop and implement national and, as appropriate, regional, policies and/or programmes for addressing invasive alien species and for effective coordination among relevant agencies;
2. Underlines the need also for regional and subregional initiatives to support Parties in developing and implementing national strategies, policies and/or programmes for addressing invasive alien species;
3. Encourages Parties, where appropriate, to make use of the risk assessment guidance and other procedures and standards developed by the International Plant Protection Convention, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and other relevant organizations, in order to contribute to closing the identified gaps on invasive alien species at national level, and in particular, to consider applying, where appropriate, the procedures and standards for quarantine pests under the International Plant Protection Convention, to all invasive alien species that have adverse impacts on plant biodiversity, consistent with international obligations;
4. Reaffirms the need for capacity-building in support of the activities in paragraphs 1 to 3 above and urges Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to provide such support, especially to developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, as well as countries with economies in transition;
5. Acknowledges the efforts of farmers and of indigenous and local communities in addressing the threats from invasive alien species;
6. Invites the International Plant Protection Convention to continue its efforts to expand, within its mandate, its actual coverage of invasive alien species which impact on biodiversity, including in aquatic environments;
7. Invites the International Committee of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to note the lack of international standards covering invasive alien species, in particular animals, that are not pests of plants under the International Plant Protection Convention, and to consider whether and how it could contribute to addressing this gap, including for example by:
(a) Expanding the OIE list of pathogens to include a wider range of diseases of animals, including diseases that solely affect wildlife; and
(b) Considering whether it may play a role in addressing invasive animals that are not considered as diseases under OIE and whether, for this purpose, it would need to broaden its mandate;
8. Invites the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures of the World Trade Organization to note the lack of international standards covering invasive alien species, in particular animals, that are not pests of plants under the International Plant Protection Convention, nor diseases that are listed by the World Organisation for Animal Health, and to consider ways and means so that that the provisions in the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement of the World Trade Organization covering animal and plant health can be implemented to address risks from invasive alien species associated with international trade;
9. Invites the Committee on Fisheries of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to note the lack of international standards covering invasive alien species, in particular animals, that are not pests of plants under the International Plant Protection Convention, and to consider further ways and means to address this gap as it applies to the introduction, for fisheries and aquaculture, of alien species, including the development of clear and practical guidance, for example by considering the formalization of relevant technical guidance developed by the secretariat of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations;
10. Encourages Parties and other Governments to raise the above issues formally through their national delegations to the World Organization for Animal Health, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization;
11. Requests the Executive Secretary to write to the heads of the secretariats of the bodies mentioned in paragraphs 7 to 9 above, noting the desirability of a timely response to these invitations;
12. Invites Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to submit to the Executive Secretary examples of best practices for addressing the risks associated with the introduction of alien species as pets, aquarium and terrarium species, and as live bait and live food;
13. Requests the Executive Secretary, in collaboration with the Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP), the IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group (IUCN-ISSG), the International Civil Aviation Organization, the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council and other relevant organizations to continue collating, with the information provided on the basis of paragraph 12, as well as the information gathered at the expert workshop on best practices for pre-import screening of live animals, held in Indiana, United States of America from 9 to 11 April 2008 and organized by the Global Invasive Species Programme, the Invasive Species Specialist Group and the University of Notre Dame, in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, best practices for addressing the risks associated with the introduction of alien species as pets, aquarium and terrarium species, and as live bait and live food, and to make this information available through the clearing-house mechanism as well as to the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice for its consideration at a meeting prior to the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;
14. Requests the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice to consider the collation of best practices prepared by the Executive Secretary referred to in paragraphs 12 and 13 above, and, if necessary and appropriate, to establish an ad hoc technical expert group to suggest means, including practical guidance, for addressing the risks associated with the introduction of alien species as pets, aquarium and terrarium species, and as live bait and live food;
15. Requests the Executive Secretary to continue to collaborate with the secretariats of the International Plant Protection Convention, the World Organization for Animal Health and the World Trade Organization, as well as other international organizations, such as International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Maritime Organization, with a view to filling gaps and promoting coherence in the regulatory framework, reducing duplication, promoting other actions to address invasive alien species at the national level and facilitating support to Parties including through capacity-building;
16. Requests the Executive Secretary to consult with the secretariats of relevant organizations to explore the extent to which existing international instruments recognize and address threats from invasive alien genotypes.
17. Requests the Executive Secretary to report on implementation of this decision, and decision VIII/27, and, if necessary, present options for further work to address these gaps to the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice at a meeting immediately prior to the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.
