Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
phytosanitary and sanitary measures
The International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) provides a framework for
international cooperation to prevent the introduction of pests of plants and plant
products and to promote appropriate measures for their control (see the International
Phytosanitary Portal (IPP) at
http://www.ippc.int
for further information and for
the text of the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs).
h e IPPC defi nes 'pests' as 'any species, strain or biotype, animal life or any patho-
genic agent injurious or potentially injurious to plants or plant products' e.g. fungi,
bacteria, phytoplasmas, viruses, and invasive plants. O
cial IPPC defi nitions can be
found in the International Standard for Phytosanitary Terms (ISPM) # 5 Glossary
of Phytosanitary Terms, which is revised annually. Until the 1990s, the IPPC mainly
focused on phytosanitary certifi cation with an almost exclusively agricultural focus.
However, since 1999 the IPPC has clarifi ed its role with regards to IAS that are plant
pests (see, for example, Tanaka and Larson 2007). h is includes a revision to clarify
how environmental impacts are included under the term 'economic harm' (ISPM 5)
revisions relating to bio control (ISPM 3), and to Pest Risk Analysis (including
ISPM 2 and ISPM 11). Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) underlies Import Health Standards
or other import restrictions across country borders. Of particular relevance is the
revised standard for Pest Risk Analysis for Quarantine Pests (ISPM 11 Rev1). h e
Revised ISPM 11 spells out clearly that such analysis may include:
•
Invasiveness of the commodity itself (e.g. the garden plant that is proposed for
import can be a potential weed);
Secondary effects of plant pests on other taxa;
•
•
Effect on plants via effect on other taxa;
•
It is expected that in future more countries will increasingly apply their estab-
lished phytosanitary systems to protect the environment and biological diversity
from the risks posed by plant pests. (For further discussion, see, for example, Unger
2003; Tanaka and Larson 2007; and for a discussion of challenges, see De Poorter
and Clout 2005.)
Implementation of the IPPC is supported by nine regional plant protection
organizations established to strengthen the capacity of countries in a region to
address phytosanitary issues (Shine
et al
. 2005). As an example, the European and
Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) has refl ected the IPPC revi-
sions in its new working programme of an IAS (Schrader 2004).
Effects on native plants (i.e. not just cultivated ones).
For a discussion on the
FAO Code of Conduct for the Import and release of exotic
biological agent
s and the relevance to IAS of Animal Health and the Offi ce
