Improving Bio-Security in the United Kingdom Overseas Territories: Identification Service for Invasive Invertebrate Plant Pests
Informations
- Funding country
United Kingdom- Acronym
- -
- URL
- -
- Start date
- 4/1/2014
- End date
- 3/1/2015
- Budget
- 18,814 EUR
Fundings
| Name | Role | Start | End | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEFRA Funding (unknown funding programme) | Grant | 4/1/2014 | 3/1/2015 | 18,814 EUR |
Abstract
Biodiversity in the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) is recognised as being under threat from non-native species. The Plant Pests and Diseases Programme at the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) provides diagnostic and training services for the England and Wales Plant Health Service and has a wealth of experience and expertise in the identification of all plant-feeding insect orders, plant-feeding mites and plant-parasitic nematodes. The Entomology Team within the Programme led a Defra-funded project with the final aim of providing an identification service for invasive invertebrate plant pests for all the UKOTs. Contact was renewed with individuals in all of the seven territories included in the original assessment project, namely Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Montserrat, Saint Helena, and Turks and Caicos Islands. Identifications were provided for the latter five territories. New contacts were established and discussions were had with individuals in the following additional territories: Ascension Island, Bermuda, SBA Cyprus, Pitcairn and Tristan da Cuhna. Identifications were provided for Tristan da Cuhna, and all of the other territories expressed an interest in receiving assistance with invertebrate identifications. Six UKOTs submitted a total of 126 samples to Fera between April 2010 and March 2011 and a further six OTs expressed an interest in the service. The project highlighted a number of previously unreported non-native species introductions in the UKOTs. 128 species of invertebrate were examined (more than 1,500 individual organisms) Three species appear to be new to science 19 species are reported as new to the UKOTs (this figure may increase as some specimens are still being studied) On two occasions rapid emergency assistance was provided in the form of identifications and technical advice following bio-security threats in Tristan da Cuhna and the Falkland Islands.