A keynote presentation in the ICPP2023: Plant Pathology in a One Health World session.
Many hundreds of pests and pathogens have been introduced, either deliberately or inadvertently, to Indigenous Peoples lands and waterways the world over. Unfortunately, the current biosecurity and eradication practices and processes implemented to address these incursions employ principles, values and knowledge that often undermine or even oppress local Indigenous Peoples and their extensive practices to sustainably manage biological heritage. So, whilst Indigenous Peoples have a millennia of information and experiences that are valuable in the often urgent response to invasive pests and pathogens, inclusive approaches are needed to ensure those experiences and information are able to inform and lead biosecurity events in a timely and effective manner.
At the same time, public attitudes to novel biosecurity management tactics such as toxins and gene editing need to be explored in advance of their deployment and ways of improving public engagement developed with social researchers and community leaders. We also need to consider ways to improve existing tools to increase the chances of successful eradication of new incursions. Greater use of advanced information technologies will move pest management towards “real time” control. Better understanding of the biology of pests, their interactions with ecosystems, and their impacts on assets that Indigenous Peoples value are required to ensure appropriate and just biosecurity strategies.