Head Chair: Benjamin Tran Vice Chair: Cayman Wurth Moderator: Gianna Klopping
Position papers will be due on February 5, 2021. The position paper format, and all other important conference documents, can be found on our conference website, http://lhhsconference.weebly.com/. Please email all position papers to our committee email:[email protected]. Feel free to contact us via email if you have any questions or concerns.
Hello delegates, my name is Benjamin Tran, and I am excited to be your Head Chair this year! I have been involved in MUN for 4 years in addition to being an IB Diploma Candidate and President of our Key Club at Laguna Hills High School. Outside of school, I love playing piano in addition to being involved in a virtual orchestra as their principal cellist. I look forward to hearing all of your creative ideas during the committee and your interactions with the other delegates. Good luck to all of you and I look forward to our very first online conference!
Hi! I’m Cayman Wurth, your Vice Chair for UNEP. I am a junior here at LHHS. I am involved with many school related programs like GSA, JSA, Drama, IB, and, of course, MUN. Some other random stuff about me is that I collect pocket watches, play D&D, and know too much about history. See you in committee!
Hello, my name is Gianna Klopping. I am going to be your moderator for the Laguna Hills Conference of 2020. I am a sophomore at Laguna and this is my second year in MUN. At school, I am involved in tennis, lacrosse, and JSA (Junior State of America). Other than school, my favorite things to do involve going to the beach, hanging out at the Spectrum with friends, and going off roading in the mountains.
Topic: Preventing the Spread of Invasive Species to Non-Native Areas
Background The United Nations created the United Nations Environment Programme in 1972. Their goal is to not only spread awareness on topics such as global warming and invasive species, but to also to encourage states to put in place laws and legislation that will benefit the planet in the long run. An invasive species is a non native species introduced to an area in which they have a negative impact. In the 1900s, European settlers brought Wild Boars into the US for food, and later in the 1900s for hunting, not realizing the ecological damage they would cause. They devoured crops and ruined native vegetation. This negatively impacted the surrounding organisms for a decrease in food. Surprisingly feral cats are considered an invasive species. They originated in North Africa and Southwest Asia. European settlers brought them into North America as pets. The feral cats killed native birds and small mammals. This put an ecological strain on the organisms living in North America. Currently, 42% of threatened or endangered species are at risk because of invasive species. Invasive species are mainly spread through human activity. For instance, ships can carry aquatic organisms in their ballast water. Insects can crawl into wood and shipping palettes. Then, the boats and cargo ships carry these organisms unknowingly to new areas destroying ecosystems and the organisms that live in them.
UN Involvement The United Nations has empowered various organizations, both within the United Nations and outside of it, to work with countries to prevent the spread of invasive species. The Global Invasive Species Program unites various leading scientists and non-governmental organizations to support Article 8(h) of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity is an agreement aimed at protecting the environment. Signed by 187 member states, this document combines classic protection measures with enhanced sustainability mechanisms to improve biodiversity. The effort is supported by an expansive list of non-governmental organizations such as the Invasive Species Specialist Group, The Nature Conservatory, and Defenders of Wildlife. Other organizations working under the Global Invasive Species Program specialize in particular areas, such as the standout Micronesia Regional Invasive Council. Many scientists have also looked into genetic solutions to prevent the spread of invasive species. Researchers at Virginia Tech have been experimenting with technology that genetically alters male mosquitoes into females, therefore decreasing reproduction rate and hence, the population. Preventing the spread of invasive species falls under many of the Sustainable Development Goals such as goals 2, 3, 13, 14, and 15. The United Nations Environmental Program has historically favored resolutions that aim to eliminate the transportation of alien species to unfamiliar areas over resolutions that inhibit breeding capabilities or call for the extensive hunting of non-native creatures.
Country Blocs African Group:The African Bloc has seen invasive species disproportionately affect their communities because they contain more poor rural areas and many citizens depend on natural resources and healthy ecosystems to make a living. Although Africa lacks a functional and well-coordinated mechanism and framework to combat invasive species, they have worked to identify objectives. For example, the African Bloc focuses on establishing biocontrol programmes for rapid control eradication of invasive species populations, having stronger sanitary and phytosanitary capacity and systems, utilizing cross border research to develop novel solutions, collaborative resource mobilization and citizen science, and strengthening the public, private, and civil society engagement. With the benefit of cross border research, the African Bloc is beginning to utilize research preparedness, predictive modelling, forecasting, monitoring/surveillance, data handling, and governance structure and institutional arrangements in order to develop an approach to invasive species. The African Bloc is slowly shifting from a more ad hoc and reactive stance towards a more proactive and coordinated approach involving the public-private sector and civil society engagement.
Asia Pacific Group: The Asia Pacific Bloc has prioritized using region-wide sharing of earlier warnings for potential invasive species, detection and identification programs, risk assessments, and utilizing monitoring/control techniques to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species. In addition, focusing on the technical and organizational issues in regards to invasive species, most notably forest invasive species for their region, has been important. Mitigating the dependence on invasive species, controlling their environment through aquaculture, and spreading governmental/public awareness for invasive species has been a solution that several countries in the region have proposed. Their cooperative measures in addition to facilitating access to potential technical expertise, research results, and training/educational opportunities has helped the Asia Pacific Group with prevention and rapid identification measures.
Eastern European Group: The Eastern European Bloc has utilized several regimes and directives to address invasive species and their pathways of introduction. They primarily consider aggressive eradication programmes as they are a coherent solution in terms of biodiversity conservation, and may be more cost effective and ethical than other forms such as control or containment. The Eastern European Bloc also strongly values the management of trade, movement, holding, and the introduction of numerous species into their environment. In particular, using early detection programmes and increased prevention efforts for invasive species is also part of the multilateral approach that the European Bloc has. Biosecurity awareness is also a high priority as they seek to regulate and prevent intentional and unintentional introductions of invasive species in addition to harsher penalties on those introducing said species.
Latin American And Caribbean Group: Latin America and the Caribbean Bloc have been suffering with a wide variety of invasive species on the rise, and take a variety of different measures for each state in tackling invasive species. Yet, they lack some common strategies or measures to mitigate invasive species. Some countries utilize the manual removal and biological control of invasive species through herbicides and increased use of natural predators are being used to mitigate invasive species. They may also strongly support and call for increased education and citizen support on tackling non-native species. Some countries in Latin America and South America have also called for black lists of certain introduced species and have called upon international collaborations to make accurate and effective approaches to invasive species on a case by case study. Planting or introducing more indigenous species into the environment, and preventing the release of even animals into the environment is also a priority for Latin America and the Caribbean Bloc.
Western Groups: The Western Bloc has seen invasive species rising significantly, particularly in aquatic ecosystems and plant species. They have worked towards control and action programs in order to prevent the introduction and spread of numerous invasive species, particularly with regulating the interstate and intrastate importation and movement of non-domestic plants and animals. Many Western Groups have also been taking an aggressive stance on invasive species, as some have seized, quarantined, or disposed of invasive animals and plants that can destabilize the ecosystems, environments, and bring illnesses. In addition to that, the maintenance and breeding of invasive animals and plants have stricter regulations and more specific restrictions for many countries in the Western Bloc. Protection efforts of areas that have not already been afflicted by invasive species and containment efforts have also been a major priority for the Western Bloc.
Questions to Consider
What kinds of measures and plans does your country offer in regards to restoration initiatives as a result of invasive species harming biodiversity and ecosystem loss?
What economic restrictions and punishments on importations is your country willing to implement and abide by in order to further prevent the spread of invasive species?
What are your country’s primary methods and justifications in order to mitigate and/or remove already-existing invasive species (containment, eradication, adding more domestic species populations, etc.)?
What kinds of methods does your country utilize in order to research, monitor, detect, and identify potentially harmful invasive species?
How does your country plan to limit the spread of diseases and illnesses associated with invasive species and their access into newer habitats?
www.margaretmarsh.com), MarshMellow Design. “Brief Notes on Invasive Species Issues and Action in the Asian Region.” Alien Species Present in Asia, www.issg.org/issg_map/asia.html.
“SEAL THE DEAL: Invasive Species Pose Huge Threat to Ecosystems, UN Says | | UN News.” United Nations, United Nations, 2009, news.un.org/en/story/2009/11/321012, https://news.un.org/en/story/2009/11/321012
Unit, Biosafety. “Non-Governmental Organizations.” Convention on Biological Diversity, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, 7 May 2009, www.cbd.int/idb/2009/partners/ngo/.