(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) While the importance of a coordinated approach to deal with the issue of invasive species in the Caribbean is widely accepted there remains a challenge to secure funding for the work to be done to tackle the range of issues arising from the threat of invasive species.
The funding constraints being experienced for the Caribbean Invasive Species Surveillance and Information programme (CISSIP) was highlighted at a US Department of Agriculture programme for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture Research, T-STAR, sponsored symposium on invasive species in Miami today.
The symposium was informed that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat had sought to secure funding for the project but had proven to be unsuccessful to date. However there is now an acceptance among the stakeholders that the path for success could see CISSIP which has five major components being re fashioned to make it more appealing to potential funders
When implemented, CISSIP, a project aimed at protecting the Caribbean region from pest a category of invasive species, will provide timely information on the status of pests and support pests risk assessment which are needed to facilitate trade. An internet based network of diagnostic laboratories and specialists will be established and utilised in the fight against invasive species.
The project seeks to address the influx and spread of harmful invasive species that threaten the agricultural livelihood, human and environmental health of countries in the Greater Caribbean.
At the symposium, the project was identified by major stake holders, including the University of Florida, the US Department of Agriculture and CIRAD, the French Agency for Animal and Plant Health, as the means for cooperation on the range of issues that deal with invasive species.
Deputy Programme Manager for Agriculture Development at the CARICOM Secretariat, Ms Margaret Kalloo, informed the symposium that CISSIP was fashioned by the Caribbean Invasive Species Working Group (CISWG) and presented to the COTED, which agreed that financing should be sought for the project proposal. She added that Non-CARICOM countries which comprise the CISWG also had endorsements from their governments regarding the CISSIP proposal.
“The CISSIP proposal emphasises the case for cooperation in addressing this issue. This, along with the recognition of the severity of the economic and social implications of invasive species has driven all of the 39 countries of the Greater Caribbean to indicate their willingness to participate in the tracking, prevention, and eradication of these ‘unwanted guests,'” Ms Kalloo informed the symposium.
She added that in considering a strategy for safeguarding against threats of invasive species multi-country cooperation is perhaps the most efficient means of addressing this issue. “Indeed no country in the Greater Caribbean is capable of protecting itself from invasive species without the cooperation of other countries,” she added.
The Caribbean Invasive Species Working Group will have its annual meeting on Friday 18 July at which the CISSIP project will be discussed and direction is expected to be given on funding and implementation.
Editor’s Note:
“Invasive species” means an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic environmental harm or harm to human health.
“Alien species” means, with respect to a particular ecosystem, any species, including its seeds, eggs, spores, or other biological material capable of propagating that species, that is not native to that ecosystem.
