Decision COP 15/27

The Conference of the Parties,

Noting with concern that invasive alien species are one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss worldwide, as reported by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in its 2019 Global Assessment Report,

Noting the increasing volume of international consignments containing living organisms and propagules, as well as changes in trade patterns and consumer behaviour and habits,

Recognizing that anthropogenic changes in the environment, including climate change, land- and sea-use change, overexploitation and pollution, add further complexity and increased risk of biological invasions and consequent threats to biodiversity,

Emphasizing the need for increased collaboration among Parties, other Governments, subnational governments, where appropriate, indigenous peoples and local communities, relevant organizations and all relevant sectors, including business,

Recalling decisions XII/16, XIII/13 and 14/11, and recognizing that voluntary guidance in relation to invasive alien species and trade in live organisms may also apply to e-commerce,

1. Takes note of the outcomes of the Online Forum on Invasive Alien Species and of the meeting of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Invasive Alien Species including:

2. Requests the Executive Secretary to organize a peer-review process to solicit advice, pursuant to decision 14/11, on annexes I to VI to the present decision, taking into account the earlier decisions of the Conference of the Parties and those of existing international instruments, and regional differences, to convene a moderated open-ended online forum on the results of the peer-review process and to make the outcomes available for consideration by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, with a view to making recommendations to the Conference of the Parties at its sixteenth meeting;

3. Invites Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations to enhance the inclusion of diverse social and cultural values of biodiversity across communities at the national and/or subnational levels, including those of indigenous peoples and local communities, women, youth and the elderly, noting the methodological assessment on the diverse values and valuation of nature prepared by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, and in accordance with the rights and obligations derived from relevant multilateral agreements, when assessing the costs, benefits and prioritization of management of invasive alien species, and to build on existing processes, and international and national best practices for engagement of relevant actors, in order to feed effectively into decision-making processes based on scientific evidence, traditional knowledge and risk assessments;

4. Welcomes the inclusion of invasive alien species by the World Customs Organization in the Technical Specifications under its Framework of Standards on Cross-border E-Commerce;

5. Encourages Parties and invites other Governments and relevant organizations to develop national, regional or international open access portals or other websites directed to the general public, to raise cooperation, awareness and understanding of the threats of invasive alien species to biodiversity and ecosystems, and offering practical help for identification and management of invasive alien species, as well as to enlist the help of the public in reporting occurrences, and in controlling and managing invasive alien species;

6. Urges Parties and invites other Governments to foster monitoring of the effects of large-scale changes of pathways and releases of alien translocated or captively raised populations of, for example, fish, trees and game species, on the genetic diversity of local native populations and their long-term ability to adapt to a changing environment, to take adequate actions to address any detrimental effects on native populations, and to share knowledge and best practices with other Parties, as appropriate;

7. Invites the Secretariat of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, the World Customs Organization, the International Plant Protection Convention, the World Organisation for Animal Health, the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and its Codex Alimentarius, the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and the Invasive Species Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, within the scope of their respective mandates, to support the national implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework with regard to targets and actions related to invasive alien species, including their monitoring and reporting;

8. Notes that the Economic and Social Council’s Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods will consider including environmentally hazardous living organisms in chapter 2.9, class 9, of the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods - Model Regulations, at its upcoming session, taking into account the risk of unintentional introduction of invasive alien species, including pathogens, in collaboration with the Inter-agency Liaison Group on Invasive Alien Species and other experts;

9. Invites Parties, other Governments and organizations to submit information to the Executive Secretary on experiences and relevant initiatives of horizon scanning, monitoring and managing emerging infectious diseases affecting biodiversity and, especially, the health of wild animals and plants, caused by alien pathogens or parasites and invasive alien species acting as vectors or hosts for pathogens or parasites;

10. Takes note with appreciation of the ongoing work of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services on the thematic assessment of invasive alien species and their control;

11. Invites the Invasive Species Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature to undertake assessments on the magnitude of the negative impacts from alien pathogens or parasites and invasive alien species that may transmit pathogens or parasites that may affect biodiversity and make the information available through the Global Invasive Species Database of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and other related databases;

12. Requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of resources: