February 19, 2020
In yet another sign that awareness of the importance of and threats to plants is increasing, the United Nations General Assembly has declared 2020 as the
International Year of Plant Health. The year is a once in a lifetime opportunity to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development.
The UN notes that plant health is increasingly under threat. Climate change, and human activities, have altered ecosystems, reducing biodiversity and creating new niches where pests can thrive. At the same time, international travel and trade has tripled in volume in the last decade and can quickly spread pests and diseases around the world causing great damage to native plants and the environment.
The UN is focusing on raising awareness about the vulnerability of crops and other plants to diseases, invasive plants and other pest organisms. They are working to reduce the movement of diseases and pests across borders and to minimize the use of pesticides and other chemicals to protect crops, wild plants, pollinators, wildlife and the environment.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture “Invasive species constitute one of the most serious economic, social, and environmental threats of the 21st century. Nearly every terrestrial, wetland, and aquatic ecosystem in the United States has been invaded by non-native species, with economic losses estimated at $137 billion per year. Invasive plants, animals, pests, and diseases are often introduced organisms that impact both natural and managed lands. As the volume of global travel and foreign imports grows, so does the threat of invasive species.”
- Everyone needs to avoid taking plants and plant products with them when travelling across borders.
- People in the transportation industries need to make sure that ships, airplanes, trucks and trains don’t carry plant pests and diseases into new areas.
- Governments need to increase their support to national and regional plant protection organizations that are the first line of defence.
