COUNTRIES around the world have declared war on non-native species. At a
meeting of the United Nations Biodiversity Convention in Montreal this week, 180
nations agreed to a raft of guidelines to stop alien species wreaking havoc on
native wildlife.
Alien invaders are the second biggest threat to wild species after habitat
loss, the UN Environment Programme told the meeting. Invaders such as ruddy
ducks, rats and mesquite bushes have eaten or out-competed native species,
introduced diseases, or swamped natives by inter-breeding. UNEP says invading
species threaten 20 per cent of the world鈥檚 freshwater fish with extinction.
Now delegates to the meeting have hammered out 17 鈥済uiding principles鈥� that
may get final approval from governments in The Hague next year. They call on
countries to exclude non-native wildlife, contain it where it has a foothold,
and eradicate it if possible. The principles also call for border controls,
precautions in international trade, and technical and financial assistance to
help poor countries detect and combat invasions.
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The meeting was the first time many countries have admitted alien species are
endangering their wildlife, says Paula Warren of the Department of Conservation
in New Zealand. Europe has long discounted the threat. But Caulerpa
seaweed in the Mediterranean, and North American beavers endangering their
European cousins in Finland, are just two species already causing problems.
鈥淢any countries don鈥檛 realise you can eradicate alien species,鈥� says Warren,
although New Zealand has driven rats from several islands. Now island states
plan to share expertise in eradication, while others plan to improve monitoring
and control capabilities in poor countries.
But it may be too late to get rid of some invaders, says Jeff Waage, chair of
the Global Invasive Species Programme, a network of scientists working on alien
species. Corn rootworm, the main maize pest in the US, hitched a ride into
Bosnia aboard American military transport. 鈥淚t has spread all over the region
from airport to airport,鈥� says Waage. Military actions and aid programmes are
helping invading species to spread, he says.