RESEARCH EFFORTS TO DEAL WITH INVASIVE SPECIES IN THE CARICOM REGION

Dionne O. Clarke-Harris and F. Bruce Lauckner

No 256166, 41st Annual Meeting, July 10-16, 2005, Guadeloupe, French Caribbean from Caribbean Food Crops Society

Abstract: The issue of invasive species has long been a challenge to the Caribbean but has been amplified in recent times as the movement of goods and people increases. These species have threatened the region, with potentially devastating effects on agriculture and other economic activities and also biodiversity. The strategy to meet this challenge must be multifaceted, as the issue is complex, involving not only completely differing species/taxonomic groups but also different ecosystems and locations which are influenced by varying human actions. In a report prepared by CAB International, a total of 552 exotic and 446 naturalised and/or native species belonging to 24 groupings (trees and insects, 399 and 135 species respectively, being the largest groups) have been reported in the region. A shortlist of 23 major invasive species threats was presented as those occurring in five or more (up to 16 countries for some species) Caribbean countries. Research is a pivotal component of any developed strategy to tackle any type of invasive. Although the majority of reported invasive species in the region are not agricultural pests, for the purposes of this paper, only species relevant to agriculture were considered. The two case studies selected; Hibiscus mealybug, a notable success story, and whitefly and whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses, an ongoing challenge, highlight the role, value and limitations of agricultural research interventions in the Caribbean context.

Keywords: Crop Production/Industries; Environmental Economics and Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 11
Date: 2005
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:cfcs05:256166

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.256166

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