International legal instruments

COP decisions on or related to aliens:

• Decision IV/1 Report and recommendations of the third meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, and instructions by the Conference of the Parties to the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice
• Decision V/8 Alien species that threaten ecosystems, habitats or species
• Decision IV/5 annex, Programme area 5 Conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biological diversity, including a programme of work
• Decision VI/23 on alien species that threaten ecosystems, habitats or species.
• Decision VII/13 Alien species that threaten ecosystems, habitats or species (Article 8 (h))

  SBSTTA Recommendations on aliens:

• Recommendation IV/4 Development of guiding principles for the prevention of impacts of alien species and identifying priority areas of work on isolated ecosystems and giving recommendations for further development of the Global Invasive Species Programme
• Recommendation V/4 Alien species: guiding principles for the prevention, introduction and mitigation of impacts
• Recommendation VI/4 Alien species that threaten ecosystems, habitats or species
• Recommendation IX/15 Invasive alien species

Aliens species is a cross cutting issue under the CBD - all information on aliens under the CBD can be reached through the Alien Species Portal

Article V, 5 states that agreements adding to Annex II should provide for but not be limited to: …. "Conservation and, where required and feasible, restoration of the habitats of importance in maintaining a favourable conservation status, and protection of such habitats from disturbances, including strict control of the introduction of, or control of already introduced, exotic species detrimental to the migratory species;"

The Bonn Convention works closely with the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (see below)

The Convention's mission is the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local, regional and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world. The Ramsar Convention has identified invasive species as one of the threats to wetlands.

Agreement

See also FAO’s forestry homepage, which has a section on alien invasive forestry trees.

Under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), the European and Meditarenean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) is the regional plant protection organization (RPPO) for Europe. EPPO maintains an alert list of invasive species.

The appendices included in regulation 1497/2003 mention several invasive species: Oxyura jamaicensis, Trachemys scripta, Rana catesbeiana. The appendices are regularly updated.

In the annexes to the new directive a few invasive alien species that have become threats in importing EU-countries have been included. The alien species regulated through CITES are only the intentional introductions since it is based on an approval system.

Alien species in the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive

Eleven generic qualitative descriptors are to be considered when determining the environmental status of waters. Alien species are specifically addressed in Annex I. Descriptor 2. Non-indigenous species introduced by human activities are at levels that do not adversely alter the environment. Criteria and indicators for determining if this qualitative descriptor is achieved are currently being developed. The proposed criteria that are under consideration are:

• Prevention of new NIS introductions. Indicators for this are accounts of vectors associated with new introductions and changes in pathways and vectors

• Prevention of establishment and spread of NIS. Indicators are Inventories of newly arrived NIS and areas of their origin, trends in introduction of invasive alien species and accounts of newly colonised localities

• Change in Species composition. The indicator is the ratio between non-indigenous species and native species

• Prevention of spread of invasive alien species. Indicators are a target list on potentially harmful species and the abundance and distribution range of IAS.

• The absence of minimal level of IAS impact which disturb environmental quality. The indicator is the Biopollution index in which abundance, distribution range and impacts on native communities, habitats and ecosystem functioning are assessed.

Annex III The initial assessment for alien species should be done by 2012 and include:

• An analysis of the current environmental status of waters which include an inventory of the temporal occurrence, abundance and spatial distribution of non-indigenous, exotic species or where, relevant, genetically distinct form of native species, which are present in the region/sub-region

• An analysis of the predominant pressures and impacts for introduction of non-indigenous species and translocations

The EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive establishes a framework for the protection and preservation of the marine environment, the prevention of its deterioration and the restoration of that environment where it has been adversely affected. Marine strategies are be developed and implemented with the aim of achieving or maintaining good environmental status in the marine environment by the year 2021 at the latest.

Agreement

Council Regulation (EC) no 708/2007 concerning use of alien and locally absent species in aquaculture

The entire regulation

This regulation aims to optimise benefits associated with introductions and translocations of alien and locally absent species used in aquaculture while at the same time avoiding alterations in ecosystems and preventing negative biological interaction including genetic change with indigenous populations and restricting the spread of non-target species and detrimental impacts on natural habitats. The main focus is on risk assessments of alien species before allowing introduction or translocation. Fifteen alien species are exempted from the regulations.

The Bern Convention has produced The European Strategy on Invasive Alien Species (pdf-file; 181 kb) as well as a report on Identification of non-native freshwater fishes (word-file) established in Europe and assessment of their potential threats to the biological diversity.

Recommendation No. 57 (1997) on the Introduction of Organisms belonging to Non-Native Species into the Environment

Recommendation No. 91 (2002) on Invasive Alien Species that threaten biological diversity in Islands and geographically and evolutionary isolated ecosystems

Recommendation No. 77 (1999) on the eradication of non-native terrestrial vertebrates

Recommendation No. 99 (2003) on the European Strategy on Invasive Alien Species, which recommends that Contracting Parties: draw up and implement national strategies on invasive alien species taking into account the European Strategy on Invasive Alien Species. And co-operate, as appropriate, with other Contracting Parties and Observer States in prevention, mitigation and eradication or containment of aliens species.

The Recommendation No. 77 (1999) on the eradication of non-native terrestrial vertebrates is very concrete and recommends the eradication of: Mustela vison (American mink), Ondatra zibethicus (Muskrat), Myocastor coypus (Coypu), Sciurus carolinensis (Grey squirrel), Oxyura jamaicensis (Ruddy duck), Cervus nippon (Sika deer), Procyon lotor (Raccoon), Nyctereutes procyonoides (Raccoon dog), Castor canadensis (Canadian beaver), Trachemys scripta (Red eared terrapin), Rana catesbeiana (Bull frog).

Action Plan, Article 2,5 on Introductions states:

"2.5.1 Parties shall, if they consider it necessary, prohibit the introduction of non-native species of animals and plants which may be detrimental to the populations listed in Table 1.

2.5.3 Parties shall take measures to the extent feasible and appropriate, including taking, to ensure that when non-native species or hybrids thereof have already been introduced into their territory, those species or their hybrids do not pose a potential hazard to the populations listed in Table 1."

The introduced Ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) is the best know case of 
an aliens species dealt with under the AEWA-Agreement.

The Convention is an agreement to regulate fishing in the waters of the 
Danube throughout its course within the territory of the Contracting Parties 
to the point of entry into the Black Sea, including the Danube Delta.

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 econd 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 management. 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.
More on fisheries may be found oneFish by SIFAR.

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/aquacultural issues are mentioned. States are encouraged to cooperate and to develop 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 biodiversity conservation.