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An introduction to the PRATIQUE Research Project
Author(s) -
Baker R. H. A.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
eppo bulletin
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.327
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1365-2338
pISSN - 0250-8052
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2338.2011.02522.x
Subject(s) - political science
The 15 papers presented in this issue have been generated by PRATIQUE (Enhancements of Pest Risk Analysis Techniques), a research project funded by the European Union under its 7th Framework Programme from 2008 to 2011. The detailed background, objectives and structure of PRATIQUE have been outlined by Baker et al. (2009). PRATIQUE addressed the major challenges for pest risk analysis (PRA) in Europe through three principal objectives: • to assemble the datasets required to construct effective PRAs valid for the whole of the EU, • to conduct multi-disciplinary research that enhances the techniques used in PRA, • to ensure that the PRA decision support scheme is fit for purpose, efficient and user-friendly. Pest risk analysts, phytosanitary experts, invasive alien species specialists, ecologists, economists and risk modellers from 13 leading institutes in the EU, one from Australia and one from New Zealand, with subcontractors from institutes in China and Russia (see Table 1), undertook targeted research to review and improve existing procedures. They also produced the first structured inventory of PRA datasets for the EU and identified large numbers of pests in Eastern Asia that are highly damaging to European trees but have yet to invade Europe.