Aims, History and Achievements of the IOBC/Wprs Working Group On
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IOBC-WPRS Working Group “Benefits and Risks of Exotic Biological Control Agents” Proceedings of the fourth meeting at / à Ponta Delgada, Azores (Portugal) September 12 - 14, 2018 Edited by: Danny Haelewaters Jana Collatz IOBC-WPRS Bulletin Bulletin OILB-SROP Vol. 145, 2019 The content of the contributions is in the responsibility of the authors. The IOBC-WPRS Bulletin is published by the International Organization for Biological and Integrated Control of Noxious Animals and Plants, West Palearctic Regional Section (IOBC-WPRS). Le Bulletin OILB-SROP est publié par l‘Organisation Internationale de Lutte Biologique et Intégrée contre les Animaux et les Plantes Nuisibles, section Regionale Ouest Paléarctique (OILB-SROP). Copyright: IOBC-WPRS 2019 The Publication Commission of the IOBC-WPRS: Dr. Ute Koch Dr. Annette Herz Schillerstrasse 13 Julius Kühn-Institute D-69509 Moerlenbach (Germany) Federal Research Center of Cultivated Plants Tel +49-6209-1079 Institute for Biological Control e-mail: [email protected] Heinrichstr. 243 D-64287 Darmstadt (Germany) Tel +49-6151-407-236, Fax +49-6151-407-290 e-mail: [email protected] Address General Secretariat: Dr. Gerben Messelink Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture Violierenweg 1 P.O. Box 20 NL-2665 ZG Bleiswijk, The Netherlands Tel.: +31 (0) 317-485649 e-mail: [email protected] ISBN 978-92-9067-330-9 Web: http://www.iobc-wprs.org Darmstadt, 2019 Preface A 2007 informal meeting in Brussels, Belgium saw the formation of the IOBC-WPRS Working Group “Benefits and Risks of Exotic Biological Control Agents”. Since then, four formal Working Group meetings have been organized: in 2009 in Engelberg, Switzerland; in 2011 in Hluboká, Czech Republic; in 2015 on Bornholm, Denmark; and in 2018 in Ponta Delgada on the island of São Miguel of the Azores Archipelago, Portugal. These meetings have had the following foci: (1) characteristics of exotic natural enemies that are considered to be successful biological control agents, (2) characteristics of exotic natural enemies introduced into a country as biological control agents that subsequently have become invasive alien species, (3) research areas requiring attention and strategies to support priority research, and (4) the development of guidelines assessing environmental benefits and risks of exotic biological control agents. This IOBC-WPRS Bulletin comprises a collection of papers and extended abstracts resulting from the fourth meeting of the Working Group at the Ponta Delgada campus of the University of the Azores. The Bulletin bundles a total of 22 contributions by researchers from 10 countries in Europe but also from North America (USA), South America (Argentina and Chile), and western Asia (Iran). Most of the contributions focus on the harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis, flagship species for biological control gone awry. However, it is not surprising that many ladybird researchers submitted (preliminary) results of their work; the Working Group meeting was preceded by the IUCN Red List Training Course for members of the newly formed IUCN SSC Ladybird Specialist Group. The aims of this training were twofold – to offer an introduction to using the IUCN Red List categories and criteria and to provide a forum for discussion of best practices addressing important ladybird conservation issues. On behalf of all attendees, we congratulate the Scientific and Organizing Committees of the Working Group meeting in Ponta Delgada for a stimulating and informative meeting: Dr. Isabel Borges, Enésima P. Mendonça, Dr. António Onofre Soares (University of the Azores, Portugal), Dr. Peter M. J. Brown (Anglia Ruskin University, UK), Dr. Audrey A. Grez (Universidad de Chile, Chile), Dr. Peter G. Mason (Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Canada), and Dr. Helen E. Roy (Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK). Danny Haelewaters Olga M. C. C. Ameixa I II Introductory remarks: Benefits and risks of exotic biological control agents Firstly, I would like to thank the Scientific and Organizing Committees of this Working Group meeting for the invitation to be part of this international meeting about the benefits and risks of the exotic agents of biological control. This event certainly honours the Autonomous Region of the Azores, the University of the Azores and the scientific community that studies this Region. This is evidence that here in the Azores, we have exceptional conditions to welcome more and more such international events, the result of our unique location between the American and European continents, the ease of incoming flight routes from diverse destinations, and the hospitality of the Azorean people. In the last few years, certain pesticides have been removed from the market, in great measure because of the high standards demanded by community legislation. Using biological organisms – such as insects, bacteria, fungi, among many others – is an important and useful alternative to chemical control. Indeed, these are renewable natural resources acting in a way that has been shown to be beneficial in the limitation and control of pests. The use of these organisms is an important and valuable tool for agriculture. However, biological control programs need to be further developed in the Azores Autonomous Region, which is increasingly biological and chemical-free. The international meetings of the IOBC-WPRS Working Group “Benefits and Risks of Exotic Biological Control Agents” therefore are extremely important to discuss a matter of huge relevance to society, with maximum scientific accuracy. These meetings help to disseminate the work done in this area. The connection between scientific studies and society is becoming increasingly important to avoid false alarms in public opinion, which is sometimes based on positions without any technical foundation (so-called “fake news”). The use of plant protection products involves highly regulated criteria, with high safety standards for both applicators and the environment. The Azores Autonomous Region is part of the European Union; European Union law and rules apply to the Azores under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. As we know, any type of border controls has been abolished within the European Union (or to be more precise, within the Schengen Area). In other words, when importing or exporting produce, it is unquestionable that all the rules in terms of food safety have been assured. The government of the Azores has made a strong commitment to the training of farmers, not only to make them more qualified, but also to allow greater awareness of risk factors, such as accidental introductions of new pests and diseases. In the last two years, more than 250 training actions have been promoted especially dedicated to the application of plant protection products, involving 2,600 trainees and over 4,000 hours of training. At the same time, every year, control and inspection actions are promoted, ranging from producers to service providers and municipalities. In this regard, I would like to underline the good work Azorean public administration technicians are doing, particularly those working in the regional laboratories, resulting in the Azores to be regarded as a model case. The results speak for themselves. In the Azores, the number of plant products with pesticides above the legal limits has been residual. In addition, the number of violations detected by analyses of samples collected in products of plant origin has decreased substantially. For example, no violations were detected in 2015, and in both 2016 and 2017, only a single infraction was registered. These indicators reflect the focus of the public entities as well as the efforts that have been made towards supervision and monitoring to guarantee high-quality agricultural production and food security in the Region. III It is up to politicians to make decisions. However, decisions must be based on theoretical and scientific knowledge; the Azorean Regional Government relies on the research presented here and elsewhere, which provides technical advice to better define regional policies on agriculture. It is necessary to mention that the Azores Autonomous Region has already started projects in the field of organic farming, both in terms of horticulture and organic meat production. The Regional Government of the Azores has sought to do its part in terms of organic farming with all determination. A working group was created to develop a Regional Strategy for the Development of Organic Agriculture of the Azores (see Lopes, 2019 elsewhere in this Bulletin). This working group has already delivered the final document to the Regional Directorate for Agriculture after including the contributions received from the public discussion stage. It is now the stage of appreciation and validation of the document, and the final version of the agriculture development strategy in the Azores should be announced later this year. The strategic document defines five important and strategic objectives: promoting the expansion of biological production areas, increasing the production of and the supply of agricultural and agro-food products from organic production, promoting technical and scientific knowledge, stimulating business innovation, and promoting and enhancing trust and credibility of organic products to consumers. Before concluding, I would like to reinforce that the Regional Government of the Azores relies on the scientific work presented here and is always available to collaborate and be an active partner, within its field of competence.