BACKGROUNDER

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Invasive Alien Species

Species that have been introduced into areas beyond their natural distribution, either accidentally or deliberately, are known as alien species. These can include mammals, birds, fish, plants, insects, bacteria or other organisms.

Invasive alien species are those species whose introduction or spread threatens the environment, the economy or society. Examples include the purple loosestrife, which is choking Canadian wetlands; the zebra mussel, which has eliminated native species in the Great Lakes and clogged water lines and fouled engines, boats and piers in Ontario; MSX which threatens the shellfish aquaculture industry in the Maritimes; and the brown spruce long-horned beetle which has resulted in the destruction of a significant number of trees in Point Pleasant Park in Halifax.

Invasive Alien Species have been identified as a significant problem in a number of recent reports, including the 4th Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans: Aquatic Invasive Species: Uninvited Guests, released in May 2003. In a report released in October 2002, the Attorney General of Canada concluded that the federal government has not taken effective action to prevent the introduction of invasive species that threaten Canada’s environment.

In its 11th Biennial Report released in September 2002, the International Joint Commission devoted an entire chapter to the problem of invasive alien species, noting that “Governments need to take more aggressive steps to end the invasion of alien species.”

Invasive alien species are a significant threat requiring coordinated action by all Canadian jurisdictions. At their meeting in September 2002, Ministers approved a blueprint for a national plan to address the threat posed by invasive alien species. Consultations are currently taking place between the accountable federal departments/agencies and the provinces and territories on a discussion document that begins to lay the foundation for a National Plan to Address Invasive Alien Species. Consensus has been reached that a national plan would have four strategic goals:
• prevention;
• early detection;
• rapid response; and,
• eradication, containment and control.

A national plan would then outline roles and responsibilities, implementation strategies and priority-setting criteria associated with each of these goals. The plan would have appended action plans that are currently being developed by each of the recently established thematic working groups – terrestrial plants, terrestrial animals and aquatic invasives. Consultations on the complete package will be conducted in spring 2004. It is intended to have the final plan presented to federal, provincial and territorial Wildlife, Forests, and Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers for approval at their fall 2004 meeting,

Environment Canada is also entering discussions with the Invasive Species Council in the US on the development of a North American approach to IAS.

In addition, Transport Canada and DFO are actively engaged in the development of international ballast water regulations. When these regulations are finalized, Transport Canada will take them into consideration as it develops regulations for the management of ballast water in Canadian coastal waters. Many alien species are believed to have entered Canadian waters through ballast water carried by foreign ocean-going vessels. Some estimates regarding the number of alien species in the Great Lakes alone are as high as 160 species.

 

Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat (CICS)

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