Introduced versus Invasive
Species that have been moved, intentionally or unintentionally, as a result of human activity, into areas where they do not occur naturally are known as ‘introduced species.’ Many of them perish in their new environment. Some thrive only when cultivated. Some have the ability to dominate, and become a risk to native plants and animals, and have the potential to transform entire systems. When they do so, they can affect the way that humans interact with the natural environment, and thus affect human livelihoods. Species that are highly adaptable and potential harmful are known as invasive species.

When a species establishes in a new environment, it is unlikely to be subjected to the natural controls that kept its population numbers in balance within its natural range. Without the control of predators, parasites or disease, such species can under some conditions increase rapidly, to the point where they transform their new environment.

The hidden cost of trade
Today, there is an increasing realization of the ecological costs of biological invasion in terms of the irretrievable loss of native biodiversity as well as economic impacts (agriculture, fisheries, industrial development, infrastructure) and the risk to human health. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment recognizes invasive species as a key driver of ecological change and biodiversity loss, alongside habitat change, climate change, over-harvesting and pollution.

As global trade and our desire for the rare and unknown continue to surge, the potential threat of invasive species is escalating. Air travel traffic has increased by approximately 9% per annum over the last fifty years. Since 1993, shipping has increased by 27%. According to the World Trade Organization (WTO) agricultural exports have increased in value from USD$ 568 billion in 1998 to USD$ 1.128 trillion in 2007.

Despite this inevitable side effect of international commerce, trade regulators are slow to make biosecurity risk assessments a priority in trade agreements, nor have governments invested adequately in the infrastructure and skills that would make this possible.

The solution?
The transition from a piecemeal approach to biosecurity to a more coordinated, vigilant one, requires a highly sophisticated approach to information and knowledge management, dedicated resources, and improved technologies for port of entry inspection and clearance.

"Neighborhood Watch - Early Detection and Rapid Response to Biological Invasion along U.S Trade Pathways" identifies the crucial measures required to improve biosecurity measures at and around control points in international trade, especially U.S. ports, as well as a possible funding mechanism based upon the “polluter pays” principle. While focused on the case of the United States, it addresses a universal problem and recognizes that the solution requires the full participation of all trading partners.

The publication offers the following recommendations:

  • Establishing interagency and intergovernmental cooperation through risk committees;
  • Develop interagency rapid response capacity;
  • Promoting international cooperation through the establishment of an “INTERPOL” for pests and invasive species;
  • Establishing Learning Networks linking inspection services and port authorities to one another and to the scientific community;
  • Developing and implementing a comprehensive surveillance system to capture the full range of potentially harmful organisms.
  • Developing a sustainable finance mechanism to support these measures, and
  • Undertaking further study on the legal aspects of early detection and rapid response, including authority for instigating rapid responses in different jurisdictions and contexts.

“Neighborhood Watch” follows an earlier volume "Denying Entry: Opportunities to Build Capacity to Prevent the Introduction of Invasive Species and Improve Biosecurity at U.S. Ports" published in 2007 which addressed the challenges of “regulatory exclusion” of potentially invasive species through trace pathways.