EXPERT WORKSHOP PREVENTING BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS:
BEST PRACTICES IN PRE-IMPORT RISK SCREENING FOR SPECIES OF LIVE ANIMALS IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE

University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA, 9-11 April 2008

This workshop  was held at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, United States of America, from 9 to 11 April 2008. It was organized by the Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP), the Invasive Species Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission of IUCN and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD), in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame and Defenders of Wildlife.

This expert workshop specifically focused on good practices that can be applied to address the risks associated with imports of live animals (and their parasites and pathogens) in international trade; these are species imported primarily for the pet, aquarium/terrarium, aquaculture/mariculture, live bait, game farming, fur farming and live food industries. They include terrestrial and aquatic species, vertebrate as well as invertebrate. The workshop participants addressed the often complex intertwining of science, economics, culture, social norms, practical implementation, and international laws and institutions; they considered and discussed a range of tools, processes/procedures and regulations that have been developed and adopted by different countries, and discussed their applicability to pre-import risk screening for species of live animals in international trade. It is important to keep in mind that alien animals and their parasites and pathogens are being introduced into countries both unintentionally and intentionally, but that this workshop focused only on addressing the risks associated with intentional introductions of live animals.

Rationale for workshop: there is a significant gap in the international regulatory frameworks, relating to the lack of international standards to addressing animals that are invasive alien species but are not pests of plants under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). In addition, there is concern about alien species’ pathogens and parasites that could pose risks to wildlife but that are not listed by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), and are therefore currently not adequately regulated.  For more information, see the workshop background paper.

Message from Dr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity at the occasion of the workshop.

Preliminary information on the workshop results (including a suggested approach for risk assessment)  was provided to the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), to make  available as assistance to the Conference of Party’s ninth Meeting (COP). The CBD secretariat prepared the information paper, In-Depth Review of Ongoing Work on Alien Species That Threaten Ecosystems, Habitats or Species (Addendum) - Preliminary report of expert workshop on best practices for pre-import screening of live animals in international trade (UNEP/CBD/COP/9/INF/32/ADD1)

 A full report will be published at a later date.

Workshop Presentations (Short papers and Powerpoints)

Including presentations on: overall context, science and ecnomics of pre-import screening, the international legal and institutional context, current national or regional practices and international information exchange tools.

Publicly available resources that may assist risk assessment practitioners:

• Suggested approach to risk assessment from the workshop
• Risk assessment models & tools, handbooks, training
• Examples of national approaches to risk assessment
• Resources on invasive alien species management in general with good risk assessment related content
• Key Global and Regional information exchange tools for invasive alien species 

Posters and other submissions

• Workshop agenda
• Workshop participants
• Workshop press release
• Workshop photographs

Lead Sponsors, Co-Sponsors and Contributors
Lead Sponsors:

• Global Invasive Species Programme
• Invasive Species Specialist Group of IUCN’s Species Survival Commission
• Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity

Co-sponsors:

• Australia’s Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
• Defenders of Wildlife
• North American Free Trade Agreement, Commission on Environmental Cooperation
• National Wildlife Federation
• Natural Resources Defense Council
• Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council
• The Nature Conservancy
• Union of Concerned Scientists
• University of Notre Dame

Additional Contributors:

• U.S. Geological Survey, Invasive Species Program
• U.S. National Biological Information Infrastructure