Transcript Preventing and mitigating the impacts of climate change and

Preventing and mitigating the impacts of
climate change and biodiversity loss through
biosecurity
Dr. Opi Outhwaite
University of Greenwich
[email protected]
Regulating for pest and disease risks
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Frameworks to address risks posed by pests,
diseases and pathogens are well established in the
fields of plant and animal health and food safety
Legal and regulatory measures seek to manage risk
through controls
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Pre-border
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Border/ point of entry
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Post entry
Regulating for pest and disease risks
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Historical development resulted in
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sectoral regulation
focus on agriculture and direct economic impacts
Moving towards efficiency
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Increased global trade, transport and travel have
increased the risks posed by pests, diseases and
pathogens enormously
Sectoral regulation can reduce the effectiveness and
efficiency of risk management
Moving towards efficiency
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Sectoral regulation also assumes risks respect
regulatory boundaries – they do not
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Animal health, environment, food safety:
regulation of pests and pathogens in imported
honey
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Bovine Tb – risk to kept and wild animals and
humans
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Oak Processionary Moth – Invasive species (IAS),
plant, animal and human health issues
Climate
change,
biodiversity
loss
Diseases, IAS etc impact biodiversity and ecosystems
Pests,
diseases,
pathogens
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Loss of species
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Reduced ecosystem stability
Climate change effects increase pest and disease risks
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Warmer temperatures
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Weather events – flooding, droughts, fires
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Changes to physiology
Responses to environmental change may present pest risks
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GMOS
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Biocontrol agents
Biosecurity
“Biosecurity is composed of three sectors, namely food safety,
plant health and life, and animal life and health. These sectors
include food production in relation to food safety, the
introduction of plant pests, animal pests and diseases, and
zoonoses, the introduction and release of Genetically
Modified Organisms (GMOs) and their products, and the
introduction and safe management of invasive alien species and
genotypes”(FAO, 2001)
“Biosecurity is a strategic and integrated approach to analysing
and managing relevant risks to human, animal and plant life and
health and associated risks to the environment...Thus biosecurity
is a holistic concept of direct relevance to the sustainability of
agriculture, and wide-ranging aspects of public health and
protection of the environment, including biological
diversity”(FAO, 2007)
International Legal Frameworks
WTO SPS Agreement
MEAS
Standard setting
bodies:
IPPC (plant health)
OIE (animal health)
Codex (food safety)
Trade
'sound science'
CBD
Cartagena
Measures for IAS
Environment
precaution
Gaining coherence and clarity in the
international legal framework
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No use of the term 'biosecurity'
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Sectoral divisions prevail
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Fails to facilitate integrated approach
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But some developments e.g. zoonoses
Conflicting principles – trade and environment
Improving domestic capacity
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Few countries have adopted a biosecurity approach
Domestic frameworks therefore becoming
increasingly ill-suited to managing biosecurity risks
Adoption of modern frameworks require significant
legal and technical capacity and carries substantial
resource requirements
Need to improve post entry controls including
surveillance
Responding to modern approaches to
risk
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Recognition and management of risk central to
biosecurity
Approaches to risk analysis (lists vs Pest Risk
Analysis) based on historical development and can
overlook environment aspects– today a more unified
approach may be relevant
Biosecurity regulation is often reactive – modern
approaches to risk could enable more flexible and
proactive approach
Integrating environmental dimensions
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Existing frameworks afford less weight to
environmental aspects of biosecurity
IAS strategies narrower in scope than biosecurity
Entrenched divisions between agriculture and
environment must be overcome
Draw on synergies and interlinkages between
ecosystems approach and biosecurity
Understanding the cost of biosecurity
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Better accounting for the costs of biosecurity may
help make the case for policy and regulatory
developments
Basis for determining economic costs under
international standards is important
Approaches such as UK National Ecosystem
Assessment attempt to quantify wider benefits &
costs
Payment for 'public good' services in biosecurity is
contentious – could a payment for ecosystem
services model be useful?
Conclusions
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Biosecurity as a strategy for securing healthy ecosystem and
biodiversity
Biosecurity also important for agriculture, food safety and
security, human health and society and the economy more
broadly
Key is achieving a strategic and appropriately integrated
approach
Need to overcome entrenched sectoral divisions and ensure
regulation reflects scientific and technological advances
Need for cooperation, capacity building, political will
Preventing and mitigating the impacts of
climate change and biodiversity loss through
biosecurity
Dr. Opi Outhwaite
University of Greenwich
[email protected]