Guidelines and Codes of conduct

The guidelines deal with ballast water and ballast sediments. 
		The Guidelines have been instrumental in defining the contents of the 
		new International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’s 
		Ballast 
		water and Sediments.

The guidelines are intended to act as a guide for procedures useful to 
		re-introduction programmes. They deal with the intentional introduction of 
		captive-bred individuals and the measures taken to prevent unintentional 
		introduction of alien pathogens. 

These guidelines are based on the IUCN Position Statement on 
		the Translocation of Living Organisms in 1987, prepared by the 
		SSC Re-introduction Specialist Group.

The subject of alien invasive species was specifically adressed at the 
		Second Intergovernmental Conference in Budapest, 2002. Also at the 
		third intergovernmental Conference in Madrid, 2003 IAS were discussed 
		and an action plan proposed. 

		In Kiev, 2003 Ministers and senior officials from 55 countries endorsed the 
		goal of halting the degradation of Europe's biological and landscape diversity 
		by the year 2010. One of the Europe-wide targets for stabilizing biodiversity 
		by 2010 was implementing an agreed strategy on alien invasive species in at 
		least half of the region's countries by 2008.

Article 9,3,1: "States should conserve genetic diversity and maintain 
		integrity of aquatic communities and ecosystems by appropriate manage-
		ment. In particular, efforts should be undertaken to minimize the harmful 
		effects of introducing non-native species or genetically altered stocks 
		used for aquaculture including culture-based fisheries into waters, especially 
		where there is a significant potential for the spread of such non-native 
		species or genetically altered stocks into waters under the jurisdiction of 
		other States as well as waters under the jurisdiction of the State of origin. 
		States should, whenever possible, promote steps to minimize adverse 
		genetic, disease and other effects of escaped farmed fish on wild stocks." 

The code thus covers unintentional and intentional introductions related to fisheries, including aquaculture. The Code is voluntary.

The International Council for the exploration of The Sea (ICES) is an 
		organisation that coordinates and promotes marine research in the North 
		Atlantic. This includes adjacent seas such as the Baltic Sea and North Sea.

Special 
		section(s) 
		relevant to 
		alien species

Requests the ICAO Council to continue to work with the appropriate concerned organizations to identify approaches that ICAO might take in assisting to reduce the risk of introducing potentially invasive alien species to areas outside their natural range;" 

Chapter 15 Biodiversity and conservation acknowledges that: "Despite 
		mounting efforts over the past 20 years, the loss of the world's biological 
		diversity, mainly from habitat destruction, over-harvesting, pollution and the 
		inappropriate introduction of foreign plants and animals, has continued."

		In Chapter 17, 30; 17,79 and 17,83 ballastwater and maricultural/aquacul-
		tural issues are mentioned. States are encouraged to cooperate and to deve-
		lop legal and regulatory frameworks and safguard against introduction of alien 
		species.

		In Chapter 18,4,e,iv. States are encouraged to: "Control of noxious aquatic 
		species that may destroy some other water species;"

The conservation of biological diversity is the subject of Chapter 15 of Agenda 
		21, but biodiversity issues are dealt with in many other chapters as well. 
		Several chapters refer to aliens species as one of the problems for bio-
		diversity conservation.