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Circumventing regulatory safeguards: Laricobius spp. and biocontrol of the hemlock woolly adelgid
Author(s) -
Leppanen Christy,
Frank David M.,
Simberloff Daniel
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
insect conservation and diversity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.061
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1752-4598
pISSN - 1752-458X
DOI - 10.1111/icad.12336
Subject(s) - biological pest control , vetting , biology , risk assessment , ecology , risk analysis (engineering) , environmental planning , business , political science , geography , law , computer science , computer security
Biological control entails introducing non‐native natural enemies to control weeds and pests. Instances of poorly regulated biocontrol have had harmful consequences leading to significant efforts to improve risk assessment of agents before release. Laricobius naganoensis (Coleoptera: Derodontidae) was inadvertently imported to eastern North America with Laricobius osakensis , introduced from Japan to control the hemlock woolly adelgid Adelges tsugae (Hemiptera: Adelgidae). The United States Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.) subsequently permitted introduction of L. naganoensis as a biocontrol agent and contaminant, requiring no study or monitoring owing to difficulty of the effort required to distinguish it from L. osakensis . The Plant Protection Act of 2000 (7 U.S.C. § § 7701–7786) assigns U.S.D.A. responsibility for vetting and reducing risk from biocontrol agents while ensuring the process is transparent, accessible, and based on scientific evidence. Typically, release of a new agent involves a 30‐day period when the public may review and comment on an assessment of risk associated with the introduction, an Environmental Assessment ( EA ). No public review and comment period was allowed before L. naganoensis’ introduction, and the EA was not made public. Biocontrol practitioners and stakeholders agree that critical scientific evaluation of multiple lines of evidence is necessary to evaluate risk associated with new introductions. The importance of accurate agent identification and avoidance of contamination has long been recognised, and procedures to minimise risk are well known. While such processes might be difficult to implement, those challenges should not justify a release that circumvents regulatory safeguards.