The status of biological control and recommendations for improving uptake for the future

Abstract

Classical and augmentative biological control of insect pests and weeds has enjoyed a long history of successes. However, biocontrol practices have not been as universally accepted or optimally utilised as they could be. An International Organisation for Biological Control (IOBC) initiative brought together practitioners and researchers from widely diverse fields to identify the main limitations to biocontrol uptake and to recommend means of mitigation. Limitations to uptake included: risk averse and unwieldy regulatory processes; increasingly bureaucratic barriers to access to biocontrol agents; insufficient engagement and communication with the public, stakeholders, growers and politicians of the considerable economic benefits of biocontrol; and fragmentation of biocontrol sub-disciplines. In this contribution we summarise a range of recommendations for the future that emphasise the need for improved communication of economic, environmental and social successes and benefits of biological control for insect pests, weeds and plant diseases, targeting political, regulatory, grower/land manager and other stakeholder interests. Political initiatives in some countries which augur well for biocontrol in the future are discussed.

Consumers’ willingness to pay for plants protected by beneficial insects—Evidence from two stated-choice experiments with different subject pools

“…Biological control is commonly defined as the use of natural enemies for insect, weed, and disease management, one instance of which is beneficial insects (e.g. Barratt et al, 2018). According to the status report on biological plant protection in Germany (Koch et al, 2019), beneficial insects are commonly used in horticultural production, predominantly for plant protection in under-glass vegetable and ornamental plant-cultivation systems.…”

Biodiversity-based innovations fortify agricultural growth in Asia-Pacific economies

“…As BC resilience is directly tied to global environmental change , habitat loss, agrochemical pollution and the insect biodiversity decline are causing net negative impacts (Geiger et al, 2010;Rusch et al, 2016;Dainese et al, 2019). Though BC can help resolve multiple sustainability challenges and stem a global proliferation of pesticide use (Bernhardt et al, 2017), it suffers from a steady decline in institutional capacity, lacking public recognition (Warner et al, 2011;Barratt et al, 2018) and stringent regulations (Heimpel & Cock, 2018). However, modern BC explicitly balances ecological risks with multi-faceted benefits, and its judicious use can thus safely defuse invasive species impacts (Bradshaw et al, 2016;Paini et al, 2016), ease vector-borne disease burden (Benelli et al, 2016), and exert stabilizing effects on global commodity markets .…”

Biological control protects tropical forests

“…Biological control requires a reassessment by all those responsible for achieving a better world 2–4, 47, 48 . While invasive species undermine many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 1, 8, 49 the benefits of biological control are routinely disregarded 13,48 . Though an objective appraisal of risks remains essential, an equivalent recognition of the benefits is also warranted.…”