Quarantine nematodes or invasive alien species?

Abstract

SummaryThe Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) has recently been developed as a global agreement with the overall aim of ensuring the maintenance of biological diversity throughout the world. One of the main thrusts of the CBD is to prevent the transfer, by human activity, of species of plants or animals from one part of the world to another. Species that are transported (or transportable) are referred to as ‘invasive alien species’ and can be any type of plant or animal species that could disrupt ecosystems, habitats or species. As such, the concept of invasive species overlaps with the long-established ‘quarantine pest’. Plant quarantine services in many countries are reacting to these developments by expanding the range of organisms for which they have responsibility beyond the pests of economically important crops. The consequences for nematology could include the need for study of nematode pests of wild plants, the ecology of non plant-parasitic nematodes and the possible effects of biocontrol nematodes on natural ecosystems.