Download ENV2_2_3

FORUM: Environment Commission (2nd Committee)
QUESTION OF: The issue of alleviating the impact of invasive alien species on environments in
Latin America
SUBMITTED BY: Chile
THE ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION 2,
Fully aware that invasive species can cause a multitude of damage to things such as piping,
farmland, homes, power lines, native plants and animals as well as many others,
Noting with concern that the problem of alien invasive species is one that causes substantial
economic damage to affected countries,
Alarmed that invasive species account for 42% of all endangered and threatened animals as
determined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN),
Congratulating countries that have signed the Convention on Biological Diversity and are
making efforts to follow its guidelines,
Deeply concerned with the issue at hand as it affects all Member States and can cause great
economic as well as biological losses,
Deeply concerned that if this situation continues, Latin America will continue to lose species and
environments that ultimately affect the economy and the future,
1. Strongly urges the creation of a continent-wide observation and reporting agency within
Latin America that will be in charge of:
a) dividing the area into various sectors with a certain number of workers per area
that will be responsible for:
i. identifying species that are potentially threatening and ranking them on a
scale created by the agency based on the damage they are causing
ii. training surveying rangers within the agency to gather general data about
the numbers of current invasive species by using various techniques such
as land surveying or area counting,
b) investigating possible invasive species that are identified by the general public
and should the species be determined to be invasive then:
i. the reporting agency will rank its level of hazard based on the scale
created in the above sub clause
ii. the reporting agency will inform the research centers mentioned in clause
6 to start preliminary research on the given species;
2. Strongly suggests that both the government and the public of all countries contribute to
the protection of native species in ways such as but not limited to:
a) raising public awareness to alter public perception and attract volunteers willing
to contribute to the alleviation of such problems
b) implementing ways in which the local civilians can help take part in pest control
such as but not limited to:
3.
4.
5.
6.
i. incentives for people to hunt the invasive animals in their region including
recreational activities or bounties placed by the government
ii. establishing community service or volunteer opportunities for clearing
non-hazardous invasive species that are easily captured;
Calls upon all Member States to review their current regulations regarding the import,
export, trade and other factors regarding the transport of live organisms in an effort to:
a) identify major flaws in regards to the current standards that have the potential to
allow certain species into the nation that may become invasive
b) enforce the surveillance of borders
c) implement laws and basic guidelines to support the survival of these endangered
species;
Urges the United Nations Environment Programme to create a ‘Black-List’ of invasive
species in Latin America similar to the Global Invasive Species Database by the IUCN
that:
a) is more in depth and focused on the Latin American region and includes examples,
causes, effects and other relevant information
b) contains information regarding severity on a scale from 1 to 5, 1 being merely
present but not a drain on the local ecosystem and 5 being extremely destructive
economically/ecologically or threatening the public health
c) assesses any information pertaining to the ecological/economical/health effects;
Encourages the strengthening of border controls to limit smuggling and trafficking of
invasive species with a specific focus on areas where an alien species may be introduced
by
a) increasing fines to pay for the people and equipment costs incurred by such
strengthened border control
b) encouraging non-governmental organizations and More Developed Countries
with a vested interest in the preservation of the ecology of the Americas to aid in
funding border controls in countries too impoverished to effectively control their
own borders;
Requests that all Member States within Latin America continue to support the
establishment and maintenance of research facilities in Latin America with purposes such
as but not limited to,
a) researching forms of geographical control for invasive species within Latin
America by exploiting natural land formations
b) implementing projects like the Invasive Information Network (I3N), an exchange
of information concerning invasive species such as prey, behaviors of invasive
species, and environment an individual species surrounds itself in.