Building Partnerships to Combat Invasive Alien Species
Development of database for biological invasion
Recently, the rate of introduction of invasive alien species (IAS) has increased along with increases in global trade and human travel. The economic damage and ecological impacts caused by these IAS have also been increasing. The Asian-Pacific Alien Species Database (APASD) was introduced at an international seminar held in Tsukuba, Japan, in 2003, as a means to facilitate accumulation and data search on IAS. This database seeks to enable the sharing of recent information on invasive alien species among countries in the Asian and Pacific region, and needs to be operated as a valuable regional network in conjunction with existing international databases on IAS.
Since its introduction in 2003, aspects of the APASD system have been improved, such as, the addition of function to convert the English language APASD to other languages, and data input has continued. A follow-up workshop was held in 2004 aimed to establish a constructive cooperation mechanism to further build up the database. The deliberations focused on critical issues concerning alien invasive species, as well as the importance of developing a database to enable the sharing of recent information on such species among countries in the region.
The Apasd (WWW.Apasd-Niaes.DC.Affrc.Go.JP)
The Asian-Pacific Alien Species Database (APASD) (www.apasd-niaes.dc.affrc.go.jp) is an Internet database that enables the sharing of recent information on invasive alien species among countries. Website administration is provided by the National Institute of Agro-Environmental Sciences (NIAES) of Japan.
The APASD can store a large amount of information on many invasive alien species in many countries. Contributors can input data items, and can modify, add, or delete them easily and rapidly. Users can easily search for and read much information on specific species and items. Because contributors can renew their data anytime, it is easy to obtain updated information on invasive alien species.
The purpose of the APASD is to help prevent the invasion and spread of alien species and to decrease the economic and environmental damage caused by them. Therefore, information that is useful for early detection, emergency control, integrated pest management (IPM), and risk assessment must be inputted. Data on invasive alien species such as plants, insects, nematodes, mammals, other animals, fungi, bacteria, and viruses are accumulated based on taxonomy, establishment, distribution, environmental impact, economic damage, reproduction, growth, countermeasure, habitat, photographs of alien species and damage, and reference literature. If a very important species has invaded certain countries, contributors in those countries can input updated data and inform clients in countries where the species is already present or where there is a threat of invasion.
Major Recommendations
In order to make the APASD system more functional and user-friendly, it should have a good interface with the many existing international database systems, to avoid overlap with them. In particular, there is a need to establish a working link with international projects and their databases on invasive alien species, such as the Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP). To ensure taxonomic accuracy, APASD should also work in complementation with taxonomic databases such as the Lucidcentral (www.lucidcentral.org).
The system should, more importantly, be targeted for those who can make best use of it, such as scientists and researchers, quarantine and trade officers, extension workers, students, and other stakeholders. Users and contributors should be properly identified, and the focus of improvement should be toward making the database easier to use by greater involvement of stakeholders in the data build-up and by listening more to users' opinion. Basic, correct information that the users need should also be ensured.
The APASD system should be unique from other existing international/regional databases on invasive alien species. Since the purpose of the database is to prevent the invasion and spread of these species and to decrease the economic and environmental damage caused by them, information should be useful for early detection, emergency control, integrated pest management, and risk assessment. Users should also be able to compare various types of data about a target species among countries.
Development, refinement, improvement, and exchange of information are encouraged to be continued among the participants of the workshop. International networking, linkage and cooperation are important, especially in increasing the amount of data inputted in the database, so that it will continue to grow steadily to become a useful tool for the development of sustainable agriculture and the conservation of the environment in the Asian and Pacific region. It is also expected that the database will facilitate communication on the issue of invasive alien species among interested individuals and institutes between and among countries in the region.
FFTC's Commitment
For its part, FFTC as a regional agricultural information center committed to the promotion of improved agricultural production and enhanced technical cooperation within the region, shall continue to fully support the development of the APASD. To the best of its ability and within the limitations of its resources, the Center will fully utilize its network of international collaboration to facilitate the continuous build-up of APASD, to benefit every nation in the region in terms of safeguarding their agricultural environment from invasive alien species. It shall act as conduit between the NIAES, the administrator of the system, and all participating countries, and shall help organize follow-up programs such as meetings, seminars, workshops, demonstrations among contributors, systems developers, and users toward capacity building, and to improve the functionality of the system toward a quick informative tool to share and update information on IAS among geographically remote countries of the region.
Index of Images
Figure 1 The Apasd Database (WWW.Apasd-Niaes.DC.Affrc.Go.JP/)
