The problem of invasive alien species (IAS) is recognized as the second most serious threat to loss of biodiversity after habitat destruction. It is a problem largely created by humans as they transport and introduce species, deliberately and accidentally, from one part of the globe to another. The pressures exerted on biodiversity by international trade are one of the most serious aspects of the IAS problem. Although states are under obligations in international environmental law to prevent the entry of, and control, those alien species that threaten biodiversity, to date state practice has often been found wanting. In particular, quarantine regulation, which can be a state??s first line of defence against IAS, is mainly used by states to protect their farming and agricultural product sectors rather than biodiversity at large. The reasons for this include lack of domestic resources and lack of guidance at the international level. However, even if states were to expand the purview of quarantine, the question arises whether they would be able to use quarantine regulation to protect biodiversity from IAS while simultaneously fulfilling their international trade law obligations. This study seeks to answer this question by examining international environmental law and international trade law in their application to quarantine regulation. In doing so, the study identifies many areas of conflict. The different policies that underpin environmental and trade regimes mean that environmental concepts, such as the precautionary principle and the ecosystem approach, are difficult to apply within the international trade law regime. A way of achieving a more harmonized international response to the problem of IAS is suggested by incorporating environmental considerations into the international standards used by states to design and implement domestic quarantine measures. To facilitate the practical implementation of international standards the study further recommends appropriate financial and institutional capacity building mechanisms.

The problem of invasive alien species (IAS) is recognized as the second most serious threat to loss of biodiversity after habitat destruction. It is a problem largely created by humans as they transport and introduce species, deliberately and accidentally, from one part of the globe to another. The pressures exerted on biodiversity by international trade are one of the most serious aspects of the IAS problem. Although states are under obligations in international environmental law to prevent the entry of, and control, those alien species that threaten biodiversity, to date state practice has often been found wanting. In particular, quarantine regulation, which can be a state??s first line of defence against IAS, is mainly used by states to protect their farming and agricultural product sectors rather than biodiversity at large. The reasons for this include lack of domestic resources and lack of guidance at the international level. However, even if states were to expand the purview of quarantine, the question arises whether they would be able to use quarantine regulation to protect biodiversity from IAS while simultaneously fulfilling their international trade law obligations. This study seeks to answer this question by examining international environmental law and international trade law in their application to quarantine regulation. In doing so, the study identifies many areas of conflict. The different policies that underpin environmental and trade regimes mean that environmental concepts, such as the precautionary principle and the ecosystem approach, are difficult to apply within the international trade law regime. A way of achieving a more harmonized international response to the problem of IAS is suggested by incorporating environmental considerations into the international standards used by states to design and implement domestic quarantine measures. To facilitate the practical implementation of international standards the study further recommends appropriate financial and institutional capacity building mechanisms.

The problem of invasive alien species (IAS) is recognized as the second most serious threat to loss of biodiversity after habitat destruction. It is a problem largely created by humans as they transport and introduce species, deliberately and accidentally, from one part of the globe to another. The pressures exerted on biodiversity by international trade are one of the most serious aspects of the IAS problem. Although states are under obligations in international environmental law to prevent the entry of, and control, those alien species that threaten biodiversity, to date state practice has often been found wanting. In particular, quarantine regulation, which can be a state??s first line of defence against IAS, is mainly used by states to protect their farming and agricultural product sectors rather than biodiversity at large. The reasons for this include lack of domestic resources and lack of guidance at the international level. However, even if states were to expand the purview of quarantine, the question arises whether they would be able to use quarantine regulation to protect biodiversity from IAS while simultaneously fulfilling their international trade law obligations. This study seeks to answer this question by examining international environmental law and international trade law in their application to quarantine regulation. In doing so, the study identifies many areas of conflict. The different policies that underpin environmental and trade regimes mean that environmental concepts, such as the precautionary principle and the ecosystem approach, are difficult to apply within the international trade law regime. A way of achieving a more harmonized international response to the problem of IAS is suggested by incorporating environmental considerations into the international standards used by states to design and implement domestic quarantine measures. To facilitate the practical implementation of international standards the study further recommends appropriate financial and institutional capacity building mechanisms.

The problem of invasive alien species (IAS) is recognized as the second most serious threat to loss of biodiversity after habitat destruction. It is a problem largely created by humans as they transport and introduce species, deliberately and accidentally, from one part of the globe to another. The pressures exerted on biodiversity by international trade are one of the most serious aspects of the IAS problem. Although states are under obligations in international environmental law to prevent the entry of, and control, those alien species that threaten biodiversity, to date state practice has often been found wanting. In particular, quarantine regulation, which can be a state??s first line of defence against IAS, is mainly used by states to protect their farming and agricultural product sectors rather than biodiversity at large. The reasons for this include lack of domestic resources and lack of guidance at the international level. However, even if states were to expand the purview of quarantine, the question arises whether they would be able to use quarantine regulation to protect biodiversity from IAS while simultaneously fulfilling their international trade law obligations. This study seeks to answer this question by examining international environmental law and international trade law in their application to quarantine regulation. In doing so, the study identifies many areas of conflict. The different policies that underpin environmental and trade regimes mean that environmental concepts, such as the precautionary principle and the ecosystem approach, are difficult to apply within the international trade law regime. A way of achieving a more harmonized international response to the problem of IAS is suggested by incorporating environmental considerations into the international standards used by states to design and implement domestic quarantine measures. To facilitate the practical implementation of international standards the study further recommends appropriate financial and institutional capacity building mechanisms.

Investigations were carried out into the allelopathic potential of the invasive alien annual Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera Royle) using a series of bioassays, including ones developed or adapted for this study. They were evaluated for their suitability to detect three of the four main modes of allelochemical release, namely leaching, exudation and decomposition. Assays which involved the measurement of lettuce radicles and hypocotyls gave reliable results and allowed a range of different Impatiens material, both living and dead, to be assessed and ranked according to the allelopathic effects demonstrated. Attempts were made to isolate resource competition from allelopathy using separately grown but connected donor and receiver plants and a density dependent design where single I. glandulifera plants were grown in pots with variable numbers of receiver plants. Results proved inconclusive. Initial experiments showed that the allelopathic potential of I. glandulifera varied according to the organ from which the material was derived. Pods, leaves and stems produced the greatest inhibition of lettuce seedlings. Effects on germination were not significant at most of the concentrations tested. Live roots of I. glandulifera plants produced pronounced orange staining of the agar into which they were placed and showed clear evidence of distance dependent inhibition of lettuce radicles. Effects were limited to growth rather than germination of the test plants. Germinating I. glandulifera seeds caused a significant inhibition of lettuce radicle elongation when the two species were grown together in an agar medium. The inhibitory effects increased significantly with increasing exposure time. Increasing I. glandulifera seedling number also produced significant reductions in lettuce radicle length. Dormant seeds, by contrast, stimulated growth. Dead seeds did not produce significant changes to the growth of the test plants. When rhizosphere soil was gathered from pot grown I. glandulifera plants, the results were mixed. Initial samples inhibited growth, whereas those collected from dying plants over a period of weeks stimulated growth. Further experimentation is required before the indications of allelopathic interactions demonstrated here can be applied to the behaviour of wild populations of I. glandulifera.

Boston University. University Professors Program Senior theses. / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-02

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A introdução de espécies em locais fora de sua distribuição natural é uma preocupação importante na conservação da biodiversidade. A espécie Callithrix aurita é endêmica das regiões de floresta de altitude da Mata Atlântica do Sudeste do Brasil. Os critérios mais relevantes que a enquadram como espécie ameaçada de extinção são: destruição do habitat, incapacidade de adaptação a florestas secundárias degradadas, declínio populacional, distribuição restrita e introdução de espécies exóticas invasoras. Estes critérios, aliados à evidente raridade, explicam a sua inclusão na Lista Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Brasileira Ameaçadas de Extinção. Os objetivos do trabalho são: estimar o tamanho populacional de C. aurita, C. penicillata e seus híbridos no Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos, avaliar a hibridação entre as espécies por caracteres morfológicos e laboratoriais, verificar o estado de saúde e confirmar a participação de C. aurita na paternidade dos animais capturados, propor um plano de erradicação e de controle de invasão de C. penicillata no Parque. Os tamanhos populacionais das duas espécies de primatas foram estimados através do método Distance Sampling. Um total de sete sagüis foi capturado com armadilhas de captura viva para a contenção física e química e posterior realização dos procedimentos. Para o hemograma, as dosagens bioquímicas e as análises genéticas, o sangue foi recolhido em um tubo de ensaio contendo anticoagulante e mantido em temperatura de refrigeração até o momento da manipulação / processamento das amostras. Callithrix aurita parece estar bem preservada apenas na área do Parque correspondente ao trecho situado no município de Petrópolis. As análises citogenéticas e moleculares dos híbridos são uma ferramenta útil para confirmar se há ou não hibridação, identificando as espécies envolvidas e verificando se há tendência nos retrocruzamentos. Pode-se sugerir que existe uma tendência à diferenciação das espécies e identificação de indivíduos híbridos pelo padrão hematológico e bioquímico, a ser confirmada com uma amostragem maior de animais da espécie C. aurita, preferencialmente da mesma localidade e nas mesmas condições. No caso de C. aurita, as principais recomendações para sua conservação incluem pesquisas para o registro de outras populações em áreas de distribuição livres de invasão, para que se possa avaliar as chances de recuperação populacional e sobrevivência da espécie. A criação de novas Unidades de Conservação deve ser estimulada, assim como estudos mais aprofundados sobre a espécie nos locais já conhecidos de ocorrência, além de um programa seguro de criação em cativeiro. / The introduction of species in places outside their natural distribution is an important concern in biodiversity conservation. Callithrix aurita is endemic in regions of high-altitude forests of the Atlantic forest of southeastern Brazil. The most relevant criteria of fitting as endangered species are: habitat destruction, inability to adapt to degraded secondary forests, population decline, restricted distribution and introduction of invasive alien species. These criteria, coupled with the apparent rarity, explain its inclusion on the Official List of Species of Brazilian Fauna Threatened with Extinction. The objectives are: to estimate the population size of C. aurita, C. penicillata and their hybrids in the Serra dos Órgãos National Park, assess hybridization between species by morphology and laboratory check the health status and confirm the involvement of C. aurita in the fatherhood of trapped animals, propose a plan for eradication and control of invasion of C. penicillata in the Park. The population sizes of the two primate species were estimated by the method "Distance Sampling". A total of seven marmosets were captured with live traps set for the chemical and physical restraint and subsequent completion of the procedures. For the haemogram, the biochemical and genetic analysis, blood was collected in a test tube containing anticoagulant and kept at refrigerator temperature until the moment of handling / processing of samples. Callithrix aurita appears to be well preserved only in the park area corresponding to the portion located in the city of Petrópolis. The cytogenetic and molecular analysis of hybrids are a useful tool to confirm whether or not hybridization, identifying the species involved and seeing if there is a tendency in the backcrosses. One may suggest that there is a tendency for species differentiation and identification of hybrid individuals by standard hematological and biochemical, to be confirmed with a larger sample of the species C. aurita, preferably from the same locality and under the same conditions. In the case of C. aurita, the main recommendations for its conservation research to include the registration of other populations in areas of distribution free of intrusion, so you can evaluate the chances of population recovery and species survival. The creation of new protected areas should be encouraged, as well as more detailed studies on the species already known sites of occurrence, and a safe program of captive breeding.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A introdução de espécies em locais fora de sua distribuição natural é uma preocupação importante na conservação da biodiversidade. A espécie Callithrix aurita é endêmica das regiões de floresta de altitude da Mata Atlântica do Sudeste do Brasil. Os critérios mais relevantes que a enquadram como espécie ameaçada de extinção são: destruição do habitat, incapacidade de adaptação a florestas secundárias degradadas, declínio populacional, distribuição restrita e introdução de espécies exóticas invasoras. Estes critérios, aliados à evidente raridade, explicam a sua inclusão na Lista Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Brasileira Ameaçadas de Extinção. Os objetivos do trabalho são: estimar o tamanho populacional de C. aurita, C. penicillata e seus híbridos no Parque Nacional da Serra dos Órgãos, avaliar a hibridação entre as espécies por caracteres morfológicos e laboratoriais, verificar o estado de saúde e confirmar a participação de C. aurita na paternidade dos animais capturados, propor um plano de erradicação e de controle de invasão de C. penicillata no Parque. Os tamanhos populacionais das duas espécies de primatas foram estimados através do método Distance Sampling. Um total de sete sagüis foi capturado com armadilhas de captura viva para a contenção física e química e posterior realização dos procedimentos. Para o hemograma, as dosagens bioquímicas e as análises genéticas, o sangue foi recolhido em um tubo de ensaio contendo anticoagulante e mantido em temperatura de refrigeração até o momento da manipulação / processamento das amostras. Callithrix aurita parece estar bem preservada apenas na área do Parque correspondente ao trecho situado no município de Petrópolis. As análises citogenéticas e moleculares dos híbridos são uma ferramenta útil para confirmar se há ou não hibridação, identificando as espécies envolvidas e verificando se há tendência nos retrocruzamentos. Pode-se sugerir que existe uma tendência à diferenciação das espécies e identificação de indivíduos híbridos pelo padrão hematológico e bioquímico, a ser confirmada com uma amostragem maior de animais da espécie C. aurita, preferencialmente da mesma localidade e nas mesmas condições. No caso de C. aurita, as principais recomendações para sua conservação incluem pesquisas para o registro de outras populações em áreas de distribuição livres de invasão, para que se possa avaliar as chances de recuperação populacional e sobrevivência da espécie. A criação de novas Unidades de Conservação deve ser estimulada, assim como estudos mais aprofundados sobre a espécie nos locais já conhecidos de ocorrência, além de um programa seguro de criação em cativeiro. / The introduction of species in places outside their natural distribution is an important concern in biodiversity conservation. Callithrix aurita is endemic in regions of high-altitude forests of the Atlantic forest of southeastern Brazil. The most relevant criteria of fitting as endangered species are: habitat destruction, inability to adapt to degraded secondary forests, population decline, restricted distribution and introduction of invasive alien species. These criteria, coupled with the apparent rarity, explain its inclusion on the Official List of Species of Brazilian Fauna Threatened with Extinction. The objectives are: to estimate the population size of C. aurita, C. penicillata and their hybrids in the Serra dos Órgãos National Park, assess hybridization between species by morphology and laboratory check the health status and confirm the involvement of C. aurita in the fatherhood of trapped animals, propose a plan for eradication and control of invasion of C. penicillata in the Park. The population sizes of the two primate species were estimated by the method "Distance Sampling". A total of seven marmosets were captured with live traps set for the chemical and physical restraint and subsequent completion of the procedures. For the haemogram, the biochemical and genetic analysis, blood was collected in a test tube containing anticoagulant and kept at refrigerator temperature until the moment of handling / processing of samples. Callithrix aurita appears to be well preserved only in the park area corresponding to the portion located in the city of Petrópolis. The cytogenetic and molecular analysis of hybrids are a useful tool to confirm whether or not hybridization, identifying the species involved and seeing if there is a tendency in the backcrosses. One may suggest that there is a tendency for species differentiation and identification of hybrid individuals by standard hematological and biochemical, to be confirmed with a larger sample of the species C. aurita, preferably from the same locality and under the same conditions. In the case of C. aurita, the main recommendations for its conservation research to include the registration of other populations in areas of distribution free of intrusion, so you can evaluate the chances of population recovery and species survival. The creation of new protected areas should be encouraged, as well as more detailed studies on the species already known sites of occurrence, and a safe program of captive breeding.

The subject of my thesis is the regulation of wild fauna and flora protection. Given that the planet's biodiversity is threatened and there is a significant decline of the number of wild flora and fauna species, I consider an adequate regulation in this area the precondition for slowing down or halting this decline and restoring the wild fauna and flora populations. I chose this topic with the aim to show how the legislation provides for the protection of wild fauna and flora species on different levels, and in order to show in how far the regulations are sufficient. Considering the significant negative impact of invasive alien fauna and flora species on native species and the whole ecosystem, I am focusing in every chapter on these invasive species with the aim of pointing out the shortcomings regarding the regulations in this area. The question of regulation of the protection of wild fauna and flora is examined from a general perspective, the perspective of international law, the perspective of European Union law, as well as from the perspective of Czech and French law, focusing on the sources of legislation, guidelines, organizations and subjects, tools and responsibilities. This thesis comprises six chapters. Chapter One is introductory and focuses on the loss of biodiversity and causes of this...

Cotula coronopifolia is a short-lived plant that originates from South Africa and Namibia. It has been present in Europe since the 18th century. This study includes a monitoring inventory of two C. coronopifolia populations on Öland, Sweden, which has taken place continuously four consecutive years (2018-2021). It also includes a climate suitability model projected over Europe.  The monitoring inventory gives a picture of the population’s yearly dynamic in terms of spread, expansion and densities. The population density has decreased during these four years and the expansion speed has shifted from over 370 m/year between 2018 and 2019 to a contraction of -20 m/year thereafter. The decreasing densities seem to be due to lower grazing intensities in the last two years. It is also possible that C. coronopifolia have occupied most of the possible habitat available at these two locations.  The model was made to visualize the potential geographic range of C. coronopifolia based on contemporary climate variables such as temperature and precipitation. Predicted suitable habitat was extensive in the coastal regions of western Europe but surprisingly low in the eastern parts of Europe. The most important variable in the model turned out to be “the annual range between maximum temperature and minimum temperature” and that range is generally smaller in coastal climates. That, together with the fact that most of the occurrence records comes from the western parts of Europe (which may reflect the introduction history of the species rather than the climate and/or a geographic reporting bias), should be considered as alternative explanations for the difference in suitability between eastern and western Europe. However, the model seems to give a plausible picture over the contemporary potential distribution range in Sweden where the reporting effort is generally high. This study shows that C. coronopifolia is a species suitable for modelling. Future, refined models should include dispersal mechanisms, propagule pressure and future climate scenarios to predict plausible population spread.