22 November 2023

I. Introduction

Invasive alien species (IAS) are one of the five main direct drivers of global biodiversity loss1, and their negative impact has been intensifying globally. Recognizing the need for enhanced international cooperation and accelerated efforts to implement Target 62 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), at the G7 Ministers' Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment held in Sapporo, Japan in April 2023, Ministers decided to hold a G7 workshop on IAS to discuss necessary measures and develop a set of recommendations.

Other governments, relevant international organizations and stakeholders were consulted during the development of this statement at an online webinar and a side-event held at the 25th meeting of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)3. G7 members4 met in Tokyo, Japan at the G7 workshop on IAS from 20 to 22 November 2023 held as a culmination of the discussions. This statement is the outcome of the workshop.

These discussions were informed by the Thematic Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and their Control of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services5 (IPBES IAS Assessment Report), including its summary for policymakers and chapters, which were respectively approved and accepted at IPBES 10.

II. Our common general views on addressing IAS

We G7 members share the common view that the following elements are important to achieve Target 6 of the GBF, and will work to incorporate them into our national and regional plans and actions including national invasive species strategies and action plans (NISSAPs) and/or IAS components of the national biodiversity strategies and action plans
(NBSAPs). We:

• acknowledge that IAS are one of the five main direct drivers of biodiversity loss globally, and their effects can interact with other drivers magnifying the negative consequences for nature and people, 
• recognize that, in addition to the negative impacts on nature, IAS can also impact nature’s contributions to people and good quality of life through negative impacts on economy, food security, water security, energy production, cultural identities and practices, and human health (e.g., causing, contributing to and/or exacerbating diseases, allergies, or other physical injuries and effects) in all regions of Earth, including in lands managed, used and/or owned by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and 
• acknowledge that options for effective management to prevent their transport, introduction, establishment and spread, as well as to minimize their negative impacts exist, as reflected in the IPBES IAS Assessment Report

Furthermore, we strive to: 

• align our efforts with the related decisions and work of the CBD, including relevant guidance and tools that are produced for implementation of Target 6 of the GBF among others, 
• work with other relevant international organizations, partnerships and multilateral agreements on managing biological invasions and the impacts of IAS6, recognizing the importance of the Inter-agency Liaison Group on Invasive Alien Species established under the CBD and considering opportunities for collaboration as appropriate, and 
• utilize the outputs and findings of the IPBES IAS Assessment Report and other relevant outputs of IPBES to encourage IAS-related discussions.

III. Our common views to enhance international cooperation to address the threats from IAS and our initial actions toward the achievement of Target 6 of the GBF

We further share the view that the following actions to address the threats from IAS are important and we will work to strengthen related international cooperation. 

1. Promoting global, regional, and bilateral collaborations

We share the common view that global, regional and bilateral collaborations are important to:

• facilitate exchange of information including data, knowledge and experiences on:
  • introduction of new alien species, pathways of introduction, processes of establishment and spread, as well as distribution, trends and impacts of IAS, 
  • best practices, useful tools and technologies for effective identification, prioritization, prevention, preparedness, eradication, containment, and control of IAS and their pathways, including information/experience on surveillance, assessment of the magnitude of impacts, information to support risk analysis and risk assessments themselves, cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis, and
    restoration,
  • biosecurity and border control measures to prevent the introduction of IAS particularly in relation to imports/exports of goods, including cross-border e-commerce in live organisms and means of transportation, and
  • application of the findings of the IPBES IAS Assessment Report;
• promote policy dialogue among countries on addressing IAS, including by stressing the importance of integrating biosecurity measures at international, national, and sub-national levels; and 
• develop/promote regional scale actions especially in relation to prevention, biosecurity measures and pathways.

We intend to initiate our actions by establishing regular opportunities to share information and have discussions on possible collaborations among ourselves, actively participating in discussions on IAS in relevant international fora, and promoting cooperation in our respective regions, among G7 members, as well as across other regions. 

2. Strengthening scientific research, global databases and information systems

We share the common view that strengthened scientific research, inter-operable global databases and information systems will help us to meet data and knowledge needs on biological invasions. In particular, this will support:

• measuring and reporting on progress toward achieving Target 6 of the GBF, including developing indicators,
• enhancing decision support tools for identification and prioritization of IAS, pathways of introduction, and sites through horizon scanning, assessment of the magnitude of impacts, risk analysis, and other methods,
• improving existing management measures for prevention, preparedness, early detection, rapid response, eradication, containment, control, restoration, and monitoring,
• developing new management measures including tools and technologies with due consideration to their potential environmental impact, and 
• building evidence and increasing understanding of IAS, their impacts and management options, including non-target impacts caused by management options, as well as their interactions with other drivers of change that magnify the negative consequences for nature and people.

We intend to initiate our actions by working together to strengthen scientific research on IAS, fill data and knowledge gaps, support the enhancement, interoperability, and accessibility of national and international databases, and seek or continue to integrate our national data into relevant international databases, especially those that support the
monitoring of Target 6 of the GBF.

3. Outreach and mainstreaming through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach

We share the common view that following a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach is important to prevent further adverse effects caused by IAS. Such an approach would require continued effort to:

• engage the general public through awareness raising and education,
• promote community participation in monitoring, detection, and other activities,
• work with Indigenous Peoples and local communities toward addressing biological invasions and the impacts of IAS, 
• engage the private sector, especially business involved in the use of natural resources and the transport of goods and means of transportation, including those related to e-commerce, as well as those that indirectly affect transport of goods through procurement and trade,
• collaborate across sectors, in particular with plant, animal, and human health, customs and trade, transport tourism, and education, and
• develop and share NISSAPs and/or IAS components of NBSAPs and targets in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and local communities and relevant stakeholders in accordance with national circumstances to prevent the intentional and unintentional introduction and spread of IAS

We intend to enhance collaboration and policy coherence across governmental ministries and agencies, and increase communication with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, the general public, as well as with non-governmental actors, including the private sector.

4. Capacity building

We emphasize the importance of capacity building in our work towards these actions and will seek to:

• strengthen our collaborative efforts to work with other countries, particularly developing countries and small island developing states, that aim to develop more robust and effective policy instruments and management actions and address knowledge and data gaps,
• identify opportunities to share experiences and expertise with other non-G7 countries on efforts to achieve Target 6 of the GBF, and 
• use the IPBES IAS Assessment Report and available tools and guidance of the CBD and other organizations, such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), to help support such capacity building efforts. 

IV. Follow-up process

We intend to hold in-person or online meetings of relevant experts/officials annually, taking advantage of relevant existing international fora, to further discuss our efforts. 

As part of these discussions, we intend to share information, experience and progress on the above work areas at least every two years, with particular emphasis on progress towards achieving Target 6 of the GBF by 2030

1 IPBES (2019): The Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Brondizio, E. S., Settele, J., Díaz, S. and Ngo, H. T. (eds.). IPBES secretariat, Bonn, Germany. <https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3831673>

2 Target 6 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework: Eliminate, minimize, reduce and or mitigate the impacts of invasive alien species on biodiversity and ecosystem services by identifying and managing pathways of the introduction of alien species, preventing the introduction and establishment of priority invasive alien species, reducing the rates of introduction and establishment of other known or potential invasive alien species by at least 50 per cent by 2030, and eradicating or controlling invasive alien species, especially in priority sites, such as islands.

3 An online webinar held on 5 October 2023, and a side event at CBD SBSTTA-25 held in Nairobi, Kenya on 15 October 2023. <https://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/gairai_inter-conf_2023.html>

4 Japan, Italy, Canada, France, United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany, European Union (EU)

5 IPBES (2023). Thematic Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and their Control of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Roy, H. E., Pauchard, A., Stoett, P., and Renard Truong, T. (eds.). IPBES secretariat, Bonn, Germany. <https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.7430682>

6 Including Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Quadripartite Secretariat for One Health, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the World Trade Organization (WTO), among others.