Aliens on the Horizon

12 Mar 2014 at 08:30 BELSPO 231 Avenue Louise
12 Mar. 14

Aliens on the Horizon

Symposium: Prioritisation, prevention & rapid response for invasive species in Belgium

Invasive alien species and pests cause substantial public health concerns, economic damage & biodiversity losses. Since such species become increasingly introduced, there is an obvious need for horizon scanning, i.e. to prioritise high-risk species and tackle them swiftly.

In this perspective, the Alien Alert project* organises the "Aliens on the Horizon" symposium. During this 1-day event, the attendees will be invited to take a closer look at measures of prioritisation, prevention, early detection & rapid response in Belgium. The symposium will be composed of a series of keynote speakers presentations dealing with the horizon scanning landscape, horizon scanning tools, as well as exemplary cases. The event will also provide opportunities for questions and answers.

The keynote speakers include several experts, including:

  • Myriam Dumortier (European Commission) who will present the European Commission’s proposal for legislation to address Invasive Alien Species
  • David Michelante (FAVV/AFSCA) who will address the European Plant Health Regulation, an official tool to protect the Union agriculture and forestry by preventing the entry and spread of exotic pests
  • Etienne Branquart (SPW) who will provide an overview of the horizon scanning and risk analysis tools for pest organisms and invasive alien species in Europe
  • Bram D’hondt (Belgian Biodiversity Platform) who will present Harmonia+, a quick-screening tool for potentially invasive species
  • Sophie Roelandt (CODA-CERVA) who will provide information on Pandora, a quick and practical first-line screening tool for parasitic and pathogenic micro-organisms
  • Tim Adriaens (INBO) who will provide an overview of Waarnemingen.be as an early-detection tool
  • Paul Tavernier (WILDPAD) who will present WILDTOOL, a flexible tool for first line prioritization of wildlife-borne diseases
  • Nick Berkvens (ILVO) who will address the case of the quarantine pine wilt nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and the Monochamus longhorn beetles in Belgium
  • Veerle Versteirt (Avia-GIS) who will provide an overview of Invasive Aedes species on the Belgian horizon: quick screening of their risks using Harmonia + and Pandora +
  • Niall Moore (Great Britain Non-native Species Secretariat) who will provide information on Invasive non-native species strategy and co-ordination. 

 

Anyone from the governmental, scientific, non-profit or private side is welcome to participate

 

Deadline for registration: 1st Marchhttp://ias.biodiversity.be/symposium

Venue: BELSPO, Avenue Louise 231, B-1050 Brussels 

Date: Wednesday 12 March 2014

Programme & more information 

Contact point: Dr Bram D'hondt, Belgian Biodiversity Platform
Tel: 02.627.43.18. 

 

* The Alien Alert project is a collaboration of eight Belgian scientific institutes. The coordination is provided by the Belgian Biodiversity Platform and funding is provided by the Belgian Science Policy Office

Aliens on the Horizon