Workshop on Marine Invasive Species
Date: 24th April 2010
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Venue: The Kala Academy (Black Box)
Purpose of the workshop:
Issues related to invasive species are a fertile area of research. Invasive alien species are recognized as the second greatest threat to biodiversity after habitat destruction. The purpose of a workshop on marine invasive species at the Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation is to raise awareness of all the issues regarding invasives, and the need to tackle them.
There has been practically no work done on invasives in India until now, and it remains one of the few countries in the world that does not have an invasive species policy. Understanding of the subject is limited to either laundry lists of invasives in protected areas accompanied by a statement that these should be controlled, or statements by officials that the clause in the National Forest Policy about “maintaining healthy ecosystems” is all the policy required to enable their control. This is the case in spite of an estimated US$ 116 billion loss annually due to invasives.
Agenda:
Most of the workshop would be theoretical, and would explore the different aspects of invasive management. At the end, specific papers will address the issue of marine invasives.
We have planned for the following themes to be presented:
| 1. | Introductions: how invasions occur, and the different pathways that can be followed | Rauf Ali, FERAL |
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| 2. | Dispersal- what mechanisms invasive species use to spread and multiply, and the role played by processes such as competition | Suresh Babu, Delhi University | ||||
| 3. | Impacts | Neil Pelkey, Juniata College | ||||
| 4. | Control & Eradication | Ankila Hiremath, ATREE | ||||
| 5. | Policy issues | Ajai Saxena, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Department of Environment & Forests |
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| 6. | An overview of marine invasive species in India | Rohan Arthur, Nature Conservation Foundation | ||||
| 7. | Case study: Kappaphycus alvarezii | Naveen Namboothiri, Dakshin Foundation & Indian Institute of Science |
Language: English
Contact: Rauf Ali, FERAL, India – rauf(at)feralindia.org
