Euphresco collaborative project
A general guideline to assess the feasibility to conduct pre-emptive biocontrol risk assessment and a decision framework, suitable for all partner countries, was developed. Current risk assessment protocols for exotic BCA introductions from partner countries, as well as the EPPO decision support scheme[1] were reviewed and evaluated during the development of the guidelines and framework, so that the characteristics and prerequisites that need to be met for pre-emptive biocontrol risk assesment to be feasible could be agreed. The contents of this document are shown in Figure 1. The final standard protocol and decision framework was used to conduct a number of case studies with different high-risk pest species, where the feasibility to conduct pre-emptive risk assessment for each pest species was assessed.
The standard guideline and decision framework were recently submitted for publication in the up-coming Biological Control Special Issue in pre-emptive classical biological control and will be made available on the website upon acceptance for publication.
[1] EPPO (2018). PM 6/04 (1) Decision-support scheme for import and release of biological control agents of plant pests. Bulletin OEPP/EPPO Bulletin 48(3): 352–367.
Download guidelines (published version in Biological Control)