Purpose and Overview :
The North American Plant Protection Organization (NAPPO), composed of the plant protection organizations of Canada, the United States and Mexico was established in 1976 as a regional organization of the International Plant Protection Convention. NAPPO's mission is to protect the plant resources of North America against the introduction of plant pests, while facilitating trade.

In the war against plant pest invaders it pays to know the enemy - those plant pests (i.e., insects, fungi, viruses, bacteria, weeds, etc.) that threaten to cross our borders, colonize, spread, and cause severe economic and/or environmental damage. In an effort to keep member countries informed of the ever increasing threats posed by these exotic plant pest invaders, NAPPO developed the Phytosanitary Alert System, or PAS.

First launched in April, 2000, the PAS is a web-based notification system that provides a mechanism to share scientific intelligence about emerging plant pests that might pose a significant threat to North America agriculture, forestry or natural habitats. The intent of the PAS is to facilitate awareness, detection, prevention and management of exotic plant pest species within North America. Information posted on the PAS is useful not just to plant protection organizations, but also to academic institutions and industries with an interest in safeguarding our borders from plant pest invasions.

Who :
The PAS was designed and is maintained by a panel of experts from each of the federal plant protection organizations of the three NAPPO countries. Oversight and support are provided by NAPPO Executive Director, Ian McDonell and translations are provided by Nedelka Marin-Martinez.

NAPPO Phytosanitary Alert System Panel Members :

USA	Cynthia Landry	Chairperson	919-855-7552	919-855-7599	Cynthia.Landry@aphis.usda.gov
USA	Cathy Sue Katsar		919-855-7330	919-855-7891	Catherine.S.Katsar@aphis.usda.gov
Canada	Ian MacLatchy		613-773-5255	613-773-5391	Ian.MacLatchy@inspection.gc.ca
Canada	Abdullahi Ameen		613-773-5256	613-773-5391	abdullahi.ameen@inspection.gc.ca
Mexico	Lilia Cruz		52-55-5090-3000, ext. 51343	n/a	lilia.cruz@senasica.gob.mx
Mexico	Rigoberto González		52-55-5090-3000, ext. 51426/427	n/a	rigoberto.gonzalez@senasica.gob.mx

How :
Panel members gather, on a broad international scale, crucial intelligence about plant pests of importance to the NAPPO countries and disseminate that information through the website in the form of alerts. Pest information may come from any one of a variety of sources, including records from port of entry interceptions, domestic plant pest surveys, the internet, published literature (journals, newsletters, popular press), and submissions from users/readers.

In addition to posting alerts, the PAS also provides member countries with a mechanism to provide timely official notification (i.e. official pest reports) concerning outbreaks of significant new plant pest within their country, or to provide updates on regulated pests. These official pest reports are intended to comply with the IPPC Standard on Pest Reporting, endorsed by the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures in March 2002 (see the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 17 on "Pest Reporting").

To stay informed about significant plant pest threats to North America and to keep up-to-date with official pest reports from the NAPPO member countries, readers are encouraged to take advantage of the free subscription for periodic email notifications about new postings on the website.