Invasive Alien Species - Statement
Invasive alien species have devastating impacts on native biota, causing decline or even extinctions of native species, and negatively affecting ecosystems. Invasive alien species are animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms entered and established in the environment from outside of their natural habitat.
How many species may have become extinct due to human impacts while we have been discussing the Global Biodiversity Framework?
EcoNexus, Friends of the Earth International and Global Forest Coalition made a statement on the topic as follows:
“The priority is to strongly address the drivers of invasive alien species introduction – including industrial monoculture agriculture and tree plantations; the introduction of species promoted as more productive for food and feed; and trade that is not adequately regulated or is illegal.
We must actively seek ways to prevent or avoid their introduction of alien invasive species in the future, taking a precautionary approach.
We must take more steps in advance, using our considerable previous experience of and on-going research into invasive alien species pathways to identify them better, since they pose an ever-increasing threat to biodiversity everywhere.”
Talking to ECO, Helena Paul from EcoNexus posed the question “how many species may have become extinct due to human impacts while we have been discussing the Global Biodiversity Framework – or even while we have all been in Geneva this week?”