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IAS Home Documents Links Feedback
An Invasive Alien Species Strategy for Canada (html) (pdf)
Issue
Invasive alien species threaten Canada's environment, economy and society, including human health. They are the second greatest threat to Canada's biodiversity - second only to habitat loss. They threaten the sustainability of our natural resources and the quality of life of Canadians. Public awareness of this alien invasion is growing, with the media driving such files as West Nile Virus, chronic wasting disease, emerald ash borer and ballast water management.
Alien species are defined as species of plants, animals and micro-organisms introduced outside their natural past or present distribution. Alien species become invasive when they establish and spread in the new environment, and threaten the native species, the environment the economy, or some aspect of society. IAS have been identified as a priority for action under the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy.
Alien species are also known as exotics, non-indigenous, non-native, foreign, pests or weeds. They can be introduced from other countries or continents, or even from another ecosystem within Canada. It is estimated that 10% of species introduced become established and 10% of those, become invasive. What qualities enable a species to become invasive in a new environment? These could include: adaptability; able to compete for food, water and space; few predators or diseases in the new environment. In addition, the new species may be a top predator on a native species, may transmit diseases to native species or alter the habitat. The damage done is frequently irreversible.
Examples of invaders include purple loosestrife, which is choking Canadian wetlands; the zebra mussel, which has eliminated native species in the Great Lakes and clogged water lines and fouled engines, boats and piers in Ontario; and the brown spruce long-horned beetle which has resulted in the destruction of a significant number of trees in Point Pleasant Park in Halifax. In Canada, alien species total 27% of all vascular plants, 181 insects that feed on woody plants, 24 birds, 26 mammals, 2 reptiles, 4 amphibians and 55 freshwater fish. Included on the World Conservation Union's list of 100 worst invasive alien species are several established in Canada: Dutch Elm Disease, purple loosestrife, leafy spurge, Japanese knotweed, green crab, spiny water flea, gypsy moth, carp, rainbow trout, starling, domestic (feral) cat and rats.
Background
How do Invasive Alien Species Arrive?
Globalization of trade, travel and tourism has resulted in intentional (deliberate) and unintentional (accidental) introductions of invasive alien species that are severe and irreversible. The methods of introduction are called pathways and can include the goods themselves (direct trade in alien species); alien species that 'hitch-hike' on goods and packaging materials; and the ships, planes, trains, and vehicles that transport goods.
Examples of key pathways of invasion include agriculture crops, nursery stock, ornamental garden plants, livestock, game farming, aquaculture, fish stocking, shipping, recreational boating, live bait, aquarium and aquatic garden trade, live food-fish, fur farming, pet trade, escapes from research/zoos, introductions for hunting, travel and tourism, transboundary movements, commodities such as seed and wood products, solid-wood packing materials and dunnage, and the internet and mail order.
What is the Cost?
The cost of the damage caused by invasive alien species in Canada and the cost of controlling these species is not precisely known. But these costs are considerable and will continue to grow. Forestry companies and farmers lose millions of dollars in products each year because of alien pests and disease, and they spend millions more on pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides to control the invaders. Another example involves an aquatic invader. Tens of millions of dollars have already been spent repairing the damage caused by the zebra mussel to industrial intake and output pipes and to locks and other waterway structures in the Great Lakes system. Unless checked, further damage by this invasive mollusc over the next 10 years is expected to cost Canada and the United States another $5 billion. Invasive aliens also take a toll on human health. For example, the West Nile virus, a disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes, has caused numerous deaths in humans and wildlife in Canada and the United States since it was first detected in North America in 1999.
What are We Doing?
Invasive Alien Species have been identified as a significant problem in a number of recent reports, including the 4th Report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans: Aquatic Invasive Species: Uninvited Guests, released in May 2003. Another call to action came from the Auditor General's Report of the Commission of the Environment and Sustainable Development. This report, released in 2002, recommended that Environment Canada develop a national action plan, secure the commitment of other departments, and monitor the progress made in addressing concerns about invasive alien species.
Environment Canada has assumed a national co-ordinating role on the issue of invasive alien species. The Department is working closely with other federal departments and agencies including Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Natural Resources Canada, Transport Canada and the Parks Canada Agency, as well as provincial and territorial governments and stakeholders, to address this threat.
Much has been done on the issue of invasive alien species in the past two years and much more will be accomplished in the next two. At a meeting in September 2001, Wildlife Ministers endorsed invasive alien species as a priority for action under the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy and called for the development of a National Plan to specifically address this issue.
Development of the proposed National Plan to Address Invasive Alien Species began in November 2001. At their meeting in September 2002, Ministers approved a ‘blueprint’ for a National Plan and requested the creation of four thematic working groups to advance the ‘blueprint’ including: Aquatic Invasive Species; Terrestrial Animals; Terrestrial Plants; and, Leadership and Co-ordination. The progress-to-date of these thematic working groups has been incorporated into An Invasive Alien Species Strategy for Canada.
This Strategy proposes to respond to the invasive alien species challenge through an approach that prioritizes:
This Strategy represents the collective efforts of several federal government departments and agencies as well as numerous provinces. Suggestions to consider particular sources of invasive species (e.g. agronomic species and varieties bred in Canada) or specific management strategies (e.g. suggestions regarding pest management and the use of biological control) will be incorporated into the action plans under development.
Next Steps
Action Plans will be completed by the Fall 2005 and will articulate the actions required to address the agreed-upon priorities and established objectives/results. The plans will also identify the timelines and those agencies/jurisdictions with a responsibility in successfully achieving the results.
Environment Canada is also entering discussions with the Invasive Species Council in the US on the development of a North American approach to invasive alien species.
In addition, Transport Canada and DFO are actively engaged in the development of international ballast water regulations. When these regulations are finalised, Transport Canada will take them into consideration as it develops regulations for the management of ballast water in Canadian coastal waters. Many alien species are believed to have entered Canadian waters through ballast water carried by foreign ocean-going vessels. Some estimates regarding the number of alien species in the Great Lakes alone are as high as 160 species.