CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2009
| Author | Kais, Lilika |
|---|---|
| Title | Efficiency of policy measures for managing the introduction pathways of alien species in Estonia |
| Summary | Species that are found out of their natural habitats can collectively be referred as alien species. Many of them are very useful for providing people benefits like food or shelter. Some introduced species, however, can become very harmful in new environments. They pose threats to other species, whole ecosystems and human health. They also impact the economy by e.g. causing losses in agriculture, forestry, and can affect water resources or recreation. These species are called invasive alien species (IAS). IAS are considered one of the biggest threats to biodiversity next to habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, overuse of resources and global change. Rapidly growing trade and tourism have dramatically boosted the movement of species to places where they have never occurred. In addition, alien species problems are accelerated by the growing impact of climate change. Preventing the international movement of alien species and detecting their presence as early as possible is less costly than controlling their spread and eradication later. IAS spread to new areas through numerous pathways both intentionally and unintentionally. Some pathways are well regulated by international and national standards (plant and animal pests) but most are either partly or not regulated at all. The Convention on Biological Diversity has emphasized the urgent need to deal with unidentified pathways (identification and control). Estonia, as a member of the European Union (EU), faces challenges derived from its common market and free movement of goods (making movement of harmful organism easy). Unfortunately the EU has no common harmonized legislation, control or monitoring measures in place sufficient to deal with alien species. This way species introduced in other parts of Europe can also easily reach Estonia. Alien species problems in Estonia are not much different from other parts of the world: plant pests and animal diseases are regulated, but many other pathways are un-covered or even unidentified. An institutional framework exists but not all the issues are dealt with and there is a need for further cooperation and awareness about the issue. Identification and efficient control of alien species introduction pathways leads to a better overview of the problems and helps to put into place legal and policy measures that can, if not prevent, then least mitigate the potential harm that alien species cause. Keywords: alien species, invasive alien species, non-native species, exotic species, introduction pathways of alien species, managing alien species introductions, threat reduction assessment (TRA). |
| Supervisor | Dr Brandon Anthony |
| Department | Environment Sciences and Policy MSc |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2009/kais_lilika.pdf |
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