27 julio 2013

Invasive species: impacts on forests and forestry #soyforestal #sf

An integral part of sustainable forest management is measures to protect forests from natural threats such as fire, insects and diseases. Increasingly, an additional and more severe threat has been affecting the forest sector worldwide - invasive species. Invasive species are any species that are non-native to a particular ecosystem and whose introduction and spread causes, or are likely to cause, socio-cultural, economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.

The increasing global movement of people and products is also facilitating the movement of alien species around the world. These species may be unintentionally introduced to new environments in shipments of food, household goods, wood and wood products, new and used tires, animal and plant products, containers, pallets, internal packaging materials and humans. In the absence of their natural predators, competitors and pathogens, they can prosper in new environments and spread at the expense of native species, affecting entire ecosystems.

Not all invasive species have been inadvertently introduced, however. Particularly challenging to natural resource management are non-native species that have been intentionally introduced into an ecosystem to provide economic, environmental or social benefits. Many species of plants, trees and animals have been introduced outside their native ranges as ornamentals for gardening or for the pet industry. These species have escaped to become serious problems in forests and other ecosystems. This is a considerable concern in the forest sector since many of the tree species used for agroforestry, commercial forestry and desertification control are alien or non-native to the area. It is vital to ensure that such species serve the purposes for which they were introduced and do not escape to cause negative effects on native ecosystems.

While the definitions and impacts of invasive species on the forest sector are still debated and need reviewing in the context of forest management, a number of initiatives, programmes and activities have been initiated. Most programmes focus on damage caused to local forest ecosystems, or to a particular species or group of species, by a given pest* over a period of time. There is an overall lack of information on invasive species and the forest sector at the global scale. Information sharing is necessary in the planning and implementation of any strategy for the management of invasive alien species.
The FAO Forestry Department is addressing the pressing global issue of invasive species in the following ways.

* Any species, strain or biotype of plant, animal, or pathogenic agent injurious to plants or plant products.



Source: FAO Forestry Departament

1 comentarios realizados :

Quentin dijo...

This is awesome!