Talk about what we should do about the "biological invasion" phenomenon in life

Biological invasion is a silent war that occurs in nature. With the integration of global trade and the increase in human interactions, biological invasion caused by alien species has become a worldwide ecological problem. It can be said that the current threat to my country's ecological security from the invasion of alien organisms is greater than ever before, and it is urgent to strictly prevent the invasion of alien organisms.

1. The harm caused by the invasion of alien pests

The invasion pathways of alien species are divided into two types: intentional introduction and unintentional introduction: one is used in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery production; Introductions for ecological environment construction, ecological protection and other purposes later evolved into intentional introductions of invasive species; second, species were introduced unintentionally through trade, transportation, tourism and other activities between the WTO. According to statistics, there are 283 species of alien invasive organisms in my country, including 188 species of plants, accounting for 66.4% of all invasive species; 76 species of animals, accounting for 26.9%; and 19 species of microorganisms, accounting for 6.7%. Among these 283 species of invasive alien organisms, 39.6% were introduced intentionally and 49.3% were introduced unintentionally. Only 9 species, accounting for 3.1%, entered my country through natural diffusion.

According to reports submitted to the United Nations by the United States, India, and South Africa, the annual losses caused by exotic pests in these three countries are more than 137 billion, 1300, and 80 billion US dollars respectively. In Shenzhen, my country, Mikania micrantha is seriously harming local plants. Despite various efforts to control it, the spread has not been curbed at all. It is understood that the current Mikania micrantha area in Shenzhen has grown to 95,000 acres, which has doubled from 42,000 acres two years ago. The survival of local plants such as lychee and longan in Shenzhen is seriously threatened. Shenzhen attaches great importance to the invasion of Mikania micrantha and carries out comprehensive prevention and control. Last year, the agricultural department carried out prevention and control pilot projects in some areas. Since the beginning of this year, the city has invested nearly 6 million yuan in the prevention and control of Mikania micrantha. However, while Mikania was being controlled in some areas, a large number of Mikania invasions occurred in lychee and longan orchards in Bao'an District and Longgang District. In Longgang District alone, Mikania invasion area was found to be 38,900 acres. Another example is that the coconut leaf beetle was first discovered in Haikou City in 2002. One year later, this pest has spread to 12 counties and cities in Hainan Province, with 460,000 coconut trees affected, accounting for 6.6% of the total number of coconut trees in the province. Relevant departments have spent 5 million yuan to control the coconut leaf beetle infestation. The coconut leaf beetle is raging in Hainan due to illegal introduction of palm seedlings from Southeast Asia. The flying distance of this small insect is only 300 to 500 meters. Without the help of manpower, it is impossible to cross the ocean and reach Hainan Island.

According to figures released by the State Environmental Protection Administration, 16 alien species have now caused serious harm to our country. These alien species alone have invaded 1.5 million hectares of forest land and more than 1.4 million hectares of farmland every year. The resulting direct economic losses in agriculture and forestry have reached 57.4 billion yuan every year.

2. Give full play to the defensive role of plant quarantine against the invasion of foreign pests

It can be seen that it is urgent to resist the invasion of foreign pests. In this process, phytosanitary work is very important. In addition, the relationship between plant quarantine and the development of the national economy, especially import and export trade, is a unity of opposites. This principle is also consistent with the requirements of sustainable development of agriculture in our country. Today, with the rapid growth of global trade, phytosanitary work is facing more severe challenges. How to prevent the spread and possible economic losses caused by pests has become the glorious mission of plant quarantine workers.

Joining the WTO means that China will act in accordance with international rules and fully implement the SPS Agreement in terms of quarantine. The internationalization trend of quarantine measures requires us to accept international standards, guidelines and recommendations. Measures that do not have international standards must have domestic standards that comply with international rules to ensure the consistency of the measures; domestic quarantine measures should also be in line with international standards, especially for exports, and must follow international practices to facilitate the development of foreign exchange-earning agriculture.

The trend of trade liberalization has increased the chances of invasion of alien pests, especially the large and disorderly introduction of many dangerous pests. Therefore, in order to prevent plant quarantine from becoming an obstacle to economic and trade development, but a positive promoting factor and a decision-making support for national economic development planning and trade development, plant quarantine must continuously improve the scientific nature of its foresight. In other words, it is necessary to conduct a systematic and in-depth systematic analysis of the invasion risks of exotic pests in a planned manner to provide scientific basis and positive early warning measures for the direction of agricultural product trade, especially for introduction decisions.

In accordance with the "Pest Risk Analysis Guidelines", risk analysis of alien pests should be carried out, and on this basis, monitoring objects or monitoring focus should be determined according to the degree of risk, and corresponding measures should be taken to prevent their spread. If it has been introduced, control its spread or eliminate it to reduce the risk of invasion by foreign pests.

It is true that phytosanitary is an important non-tariff trade barrier or technical trade barrier, which has great flexibility and concealment. How to play the role of quarantine as a technical barrier without violating the general principle? Safeguarding our country's economic interests is also an important issue before us.