DENR wages war on ‘invasive alien species’

The country’s former defense chief is gearing up to fight an invasion — that of alien species that are a threat to native wildlife and the environment.

These "invaders" include the South American catfish, also known as the janitor fish, the African catfish and the golden apple snail.

"Not only are invasive species threatening our agriculture, fisheries and forests, they also have a major impact on human health and tourism," Secretary Angelo Reyes of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said in a statement.

Alien plants that have invaded the country include the fast-growing softwood yemane and ipil-ipil, as well as mahogany, Reyes said.

He vowed to protect native species from the "ravages of the invasive alien species."

The troublesome species were either intentionally or accidentally introduced into the Philippine ecosystem and now pose a threat to the existence of the native species, he added.

According to the DENR’s Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB), the increase in the arrival of "invasive alien species" is alarming that it poses great danger to the government’s biodiversity conservation programs.

"The case of invasive alien species is among the priority concerns that DENR is looking into insofar as biodiversity conservation is concerned," Reyes said.

"Despite limited expertise, facilities, and technical staff, the DENR is exerting efforts to strictly implement biosafety measures to protect the native species from the ravages of the invasive alien species," he added.

Fisheries officials say the African catfish devours smaller, native species of freshwater fish.

The voracious golden snail, introduced into the Philippines for aquarium enthusiasts, escaped into rice paddies where they eat the plants.

Reyes called for greater public awareness of invasive alien species and vowed that the government would enforce laws and policies that regulate imports, field release, and breeding of organisms that are potentially harmful to people and the environment.

The government plans to draw up a plan to control alien species through early detection, rapid response, surveillance and other initiatives, the statement added.

Nelson Castillo, chief of the Nature, Recreation, and Extension Division of PAWB, defined "alien species" as those that occur outside of their natural range or have established themselves accidentally or introduced deliberately.

They threaten the existence of native species, both plants and animals.

Castillo, however, said that they have yet to determine the exact number of all alien species in the country. Nevertheless, he stressed that aside from habitat loss, alien invasion is considered the next major threat to biodiversity conservation.

"This invasive alien species tend to dominate the ecosystem of a place that’s why they are dangerous if their population growth will not be monitored and controlled," Castillo told The STAR in an interview.

"If we just allow them to proliferate, there will be a loss of habitat for the many species that are endemic in our country; they are a threat to the existence of our native species," he also said.

Castillo enumerated the most notable alien species that are now thriving in the Philippines’ terrestrial ecosystem. These are yemane (Gmelina arborea), Acacia manguim, mahogany (Swiietenia macrophylla), and ipil-ipil (Leucaena leucocephala).

On the country’s aquatic ecosystem, Castillo said, the alien species include the Golden Apple Snail (Pmocea canaliculata), African catfish (Clarias gariepinus), and South American catfish or janitor fish (Plescostomus sp.), which were either intentionally or accidentally introduced.

"The movement of species from various ecosystems to other parts of the world defies all political boundaries and immigration rules," Castillo noted.

"While migration of species dates back to the biblical times when Noah and his Ark sailed through high seas, today’s principal means for alien species’ trans-boundary movement can be attributed to increased trade among nations and the movement of peoples across borders," he added.

Castillo pointed out that although there are many international multilateral agreements in environment, trade, transport, and agriculture for the prevention, control, and eradication of invasive alien species, strong international and regional cooperation among countries to address the matter is still necessary.

For this, a conference-workshop on invasive alien species in the Philippines and their impacts on biodiversity was held in Marikina City from July 26 to 28.

The convention aimed to increase the level of awareness on the impact of invasive alien species on Philippines’ ecosystems and to formulate a national strategic framework and action plan.

"The intrinsically global nature of invasive alien species issue necessitates a global approach. Effective action requires not just new developments in international law, but also regional and global cooperation among nations and a broader awareness among the general public (considering) that there are multitude of pathways for (the) introduction (of invasive alien species)," Castillo said.

"The effective cooperation of nations is significant to stop the entry and reverse the impacts of invasive alien species. Quarantine and biosafety measure must be intensified," he added. — With AFP