IOBC-WPRS

Keywords

Exotic natural enemies, invasive alien species

Structure

This group was founded at a meeting in Brussels in 2007 attended by some 35 researchers from 9 European countries and Russia.

Aim

The goal of the group is to offer a forum for exchange of information and to stimulate contacts and cooperation between scientists working in the field of benefits and risks of exotic biological control agents.

Specific Aims

• To assess the characteristics of exotic natural enemies which are considered to be successful biological control agents

• To assess the characteristics of exotic natural enemies introduced into a country as biological control agents which subsequently become invasive alien species

• To highlight research areas requiring attention and develop strategies for supporting priority research

• Ongoing development of guidelines on assessing environmental benefits and risks of releasing exotic biological control agents to increase cogency of decision making on classical biological control initiatives

Activities

Biennial WG meetings – the first meeting was held in Engelberg in 2009.
Planned 2nd meeting of the WG in Czech Republic 2011.
E-mail forum – please contact Helen Roy to join.

Achievements

The results of the working group's activities are published in bulletins:

IOBC-WPRS Bulletin Vol. 58, 2010 (pdf, restricted for members), 201 pp., table of contents and abstracts (pdf)

Special issue of Biocontrol (53): Roy, H.E. & Wajnberg, E. eds. (2008). From biological control to invasion: the ladybird Harmonia axyridis as a model species. Dordrecht, Springer.

Forthcoming special issue of BioControl: Roy, H.E., Handley Lawson, L., Poland, R.L., Wajnberg, E. & DeClercq, P. (in prep.) Invasive Arthropod Predators and Parasitoids: an ecological approach.