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Archive -Environment

Biosecurity consultant visits Aldabra |23 July 2018

 

 

Despite being highly protected as a Special Reserve, Aldabra Unesco World Heritage site is facing various threats; as with many islands this is especially the case from invasive alien species.

In order to protect Aldabra’s species and ecosystems from alien species that do

not naturally occur on the atoll, biosecurity measures are needed.

Biosecurity is defined as a set of preventive measures designed to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases in crops and livestock, quarantined pests, invasive alien species, and living modified organisms.

Although biosecurity measures have been operational for some time on Aldabra, these were not comprehensive enough to ensure that the threat of invasive alien species is minimised.

Therefore SIF secured funding from the Indian Ocean Commission to ‘Institutionalise and implement biosecurity measures to ensure sustainable conservation management of biodiversity on Aldabra Atoll’.

The project aims to create urgently needed biosecurity facilities on Mahé and Aldabra which will allow for appropriate checking, and safe packing and unpacking of supplies, within sealed containers for transportation.

A further fundamental project component is the training of all SIF staff and partners by an expert to ensure high capacity to standardize biosecurity measures throughout the organisation.

In April and May SIF hosted biosecurity expert Joanna Hiscock from New Zealand on Aldabra and at the Mahé head office to conduct training for all staff.

In addition the project will also produce easy to follow training materials to ensure that future staff members are introduced to biosecurity concepts and trained immediately when starting employment.

To ensure that any species reaching Aldabra would be discovered on time surveillance techniques and emergency response procedures were assessed and further developed based on international guidelines and best practices recommended by the experts.

SIF is extremely grateful that with the help of the Indian Ocean Commission it has been possible to boost biosecurity measures for Aldabra to the necessary level. Biosecurity is a task never completed and more can always be done.

SIF is determined to fully integrate and institutionalise best biosecurity practices to prevent any introduction of invasive alien species to Aldabra.

 

SIF

 

 

 

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