Side event on Facilitation of international trade and safeguarding biodiversity from the the spread of invasive alien species which are pests of plants organized at CPM-12 in Incheon Republic of Korea

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) organized a side session in collaboration with the IPPC secretariat and the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI) on the facilitation of trade and safeguarding biodiversity from the spread of invasive alien species which are pests of plants.

The session was chaired by Brent Larson, Senior Standard Setting Officer at the IPPC Secretariat, and session panelists included Junko Shimura, Programme Officer of the Secretariat of the CBD, and Melanie Bateman of CABI. A video by and Annamalai Sivapragasam of CABI was also projected, focusing on management of invasive alien species.

The objective of the session was to inform participants about the on-going work on invasive alien species under the CBD, and cases of national and regional implementation in South East Asia and the Pacific regions financially supported by the CDB and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Session participants and panelists discussed further enhancing cross-sectoral collaboration between NPPOs and actors from environmental sectors as well as potential capacity development opportunities for developing countries eligible under the GEF financing towards achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 9 on invasive alien species - By 2020, invasive alien species and pathways are identified and prioritized, priority species are controlled or eradicated and measures are in place to manage pathways to prevent their introduction and establishment.