The Management of Invasive Species in Marine

1

• The Management of Invasive Species in Marine
  Coastal Environments
• Module 7
• Developing a National Strategic Framework

2
Module 7 Objectives

• Outline the essential components and content of a
  national strategic framework for Invasive Alien
  Species (IAS) management
• Describe the key steps in the development and
  implementation of a national framework

3
Context of IAS Management

• Involves a wide variety of stakeholders
• Must comply with international/regional
  obligations
• Must cover marine freshwater terrestrial
  environments

In order to deal with invasive alien species,
a National Strategic Framework will need to be
established.
4
National Strategic Framework
should include the following elements

• A national IAS strategy
• Operational Arrangements (Action Plan) for the
  implementation of the strategy
• Institutional arrangements and responsibilities
  (whose job is it? Who decides? How will agencies
  work together?)
• Legal / regulatory aspects

5
Steps in the Development of a National Strategic
Framework

• Designation of Lead Agency
• Establishment of Task Force
• Assessment of the IAS problem
• Development of National Strategy and Action Plan
• Implementation of the National Strategy,
  including
• - appropriate institutional structures
• - legal framework
• - Action Plan

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Lead Agency

• Has principal responsibility for coordinating the
  development implementation of the National
  Strategy
• It is more common to designate an existing agency
  as the lead agency. However, creating a new
  entity is an alternative option
• No particular agency is always best suited
  depends on
• the constitutional structure in the country
• The departmental/agency configuration
• The legal/regulatory aspects.
• The capability and resources of existing agencies

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Lead Agency
Has a Lead Agency been designated in your
country? Which is it? Does it play only a
coordinating role?
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IAS Task Force

• Membership should include all major stakeholders
• Should be established early on in the strategy
  development process
• Should be the precursor to a cross-sectoral
• advisory body for the implementation stage
• May form sub-groups to provide specialist input
  for example, a Marine Task Group
• The Chair of each group would then be on the
• Task Force

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Marine Task Group
Which agencies do you think should be, or are
involved in the management of marine and coastal
invasives in your country?
How much contact is there between these
agencies? And with other relevant stakeholder
groups?
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Marine Task Group
Membership should comprise representation from
all major stakeholders, such as

• Environmental administration including coastal
  management.
• Fisheries/marine resources administration.
• Health/quarantine administration.
• Transport/shipping administration
• Port and harbour authorities
• Industry (e.g. mariculture, shipping
  associations, oil gas, mining)
• Research community/academia.
• Environmental and other Non-governmental
  organisation(s), as appropriate.
• Indigenous people(s), local community groups (as
  appropriate)

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Assessment of the IAS Problem

• What are the main pathways of introduction?
• What invasive species are already present, and
  what damage are they causing to the environment,
  resources, trade, health, livelihoods of rural
  communities?
• Are Protected Areas at risk?
• What are the economic costs?
• What are the existing institutional legal
  arrangements?
• Are stakeholders and the general public aware of
  the issue?
• What are constraints to managing IAS?

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The National Strategy

• Describes the vision, overall objectives and
  scope, national policies, principles and
  practices
• Should be consistent with relevant international
  requirements and other national commitments
• Should identify key agencies and organisations
  responsible for implementation of the actions
  required
• Should describe how coordination and co-operation
  between the various agencies will be achieved
• Should integrate IAS issues into other national
  strategies (agriculture, forestry, fisheries etc)

13
The National Action Plan

• The National Strategy includes high level actions
  based on the issues identified in the assessment
• The Action Plan translates these into more
  specific activities with responsibilities,
  timelines, funding etc
• For example
• - in 2006, the Ministry of . Will
  develop/revise the relevant legislation
• - in 2007, the University of . Will establish a
  monitoring programme with funding from
• Must address the constraints identified in the
  assessment

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Components / Content of National Strategy

• Status and trends of IAS in the country
  identification of priorities
• Main sectors (e.g. type of industry) pathways,
  vectors and particular risks,
• Identify government departments / agencies at all
  levels (e.g. including regional) that have a
  mandate relating to IAS, and their roles and
  responsibilities under the strategy
• Procedure/system for cooperation within and
  between relevant agencies (and sectors and
  institutions as appropriate)
• Procedures/system for stakeholder participation
• Relevant legislation and regulations as well as
  proposals for addressing gaps that were
  identified in the review stage

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Components / Content of National Strategy cont.

• Outline of criteria for risk analysis, management
  planning and mitigation
• Requirements related to monitoring,
• Requirements / systems for training and capacity
  building
• Where appropriate, specific measures or policies
  for isolated and biodiversity-rich ecosystems
  (e.g. islands and archipelagos, protected areas)
• Requirements for recovery of species/ecosystems
  affected by IAS and ways to promote use of native
  species
• Requirements for public awareness efforts
• Research requirements
• Funding issues

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Implementing the National Strategy

• Establishing the recommended institutional
  arrangements
• Putting in place an appropriate legal frameworks
• Implementing the Action Plan (i.e. more specific
  aspects of the strategy)

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Legal and Institutional Frameworks

• Law is used to implement policy objectives and
  determine principles, standards and procedures to
  achieve them
• Allocates rights and responsibilities amongst the
  roleplayers
• Legal and institutional systems underpin the
  mandate to act to address issues such as IAS
• Establishing effective institutions is one of the
  most important roles of legislation, though this
  is often underestimated

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Common Weaknesses of Existing National Law and
Institutions
Some common problems include

• Fragmented legal and institutional frameworks
  (cross-sectoral nature)
• Weaknesses related to coverage and terminology
  (eg. marine invasives)
• Inconsistencies in provisions
• Problems related to compliance, enforcement and
  remedies

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Key Requirements for National Legal frameworks

• Consistency in definitions and use of terminology
  
• Comprehensive geographic coverage (all
  ecosystems)
• Must provide for all aspects of IAS management
• Prevention
• Early detection/ rapid response
• Eradication
• Control mitigation (longer term)

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Implementation of the Action Plan

• Implement prevention measures
• Develop contingency plans
• Introduce management plans for existing
  invasives
• Establish monitoring and surveillance around key
  entry points

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• Has a National Strategic Framework been set up in
  your country to deal with Invasive Alien Species?
• If so, does this framework focus on terrestrial,
  aquatic freshwater or marine or does it take
  responsibility for invasive alien species in
  general?
• A National Strategic Framework can be constituted
  with representatives from the following groupings
  or departments
• coastal management including fisheries/marine
  resources administration.
• Health/quarantine administration.
• Transport/shipping administration
• Industry (e.g. mariculture, shipping
  associations, oil gas, mining)
• Science community/academia.
• Environmental management
• Non-governmental organisation(s), as appropriate.
• Indigenous people(s), local community (as
  appropriate)
• If you do not know of a National Strategic
  Framework in your country, which groupings could
  serve as representatives of the above, in a lead
  agency?
• Who would take overall responsibility for dealing
  with IAMS?
• What kind of strategy can you think of for
  dealing with an invasion on a national,
  provincial and municipal/local level i.e. how
  would the reporting structure work, who would
  carry out the contingency plans, who would do the
  work at the location where invasion took place,
  who would they report progress to etc.
• A lead agency normally works on a national level,
  what kind of supporting structures would you have
  to deal with provincial problems and problems on
  a municipal/local level.

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• If there is a lack of a framework it may be due
  to the
• following factors. How would you address these
  problems
• in your country?
• low public awareness and opposition to government
  intervention
• shortage and inaccessibility of scientific
  information (for species identification, risk
  analysis, detection and mitigation techniques
  etc.)
• absence of clear and agreed priorities for
  action
• ease of introduction and movement (e.g. through
  the post), inadequate inspection and quarantine
• inadequate monitoring capacity
• lack of effective emergency response measures
• outdated or inadequate legislation
• poor coordination between government agencies,
  countries and other stakeholders