Criteria 2.1: Criteria 2.1: Practices are adopted to ensure sustainable use of the species cultivated or wild collected, and to prevent or mitigate negative impact on other species
2.1.5 If cultivation and wild collection activities involve invasive species, which as per 2.1.4 have not been intentionally introduced, measures are taken to avoid the spread of these species beyond cultivation and wild collection sites.
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Unintentional spread of invasive species takes place when, for example:
seeds from invasive plants are casually dispersed while farming or collecting from the wild (e.g. dropped from containers used to store and transport products, cleaning of machineries used to harvest or store products, cleaning of storage)
the presence of invasive plants/insects/birds is fostered by the plants farmed or by the farming/harvesting practices used (e.g. using agrochemicals that suppress plants/insects that are natural rivals to invasive species and foster the appearance of the latter; overworking the soil and degrading its conditions and fostering the spreading of invasive weeds that can also prosper in degraded soil, etc.)
Measures that avoid the spread of invasive species from cultivation and wild collection activities, and corrective actions to stop their spread, are all measures that ensure compliance with this requirement.
Field operators are responsible for implementing these types of measures.
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DOCUMENTATION
The following documents can be used to judge compliance/non-compliance: a) assessment of species present in cultivation/collection areas showing no presence of invasive species, b) assessments to show the reduction in the unintentional introduction of invasive species, or c) plans of actions to reduce the unintentional introduction of invasive species.
INTERVIEWS
Conversations with key informants describing actions implemented to reduce unintentional introduction of invasive species or stating the non-presence of invasive species can be used to assess compliance.
OBSERVATION
Witnessing the following in cultivation/collection areas can be used to assess compliance/non-compliance: a) the absence or presence of invasive species, b) actions put in practice (or not implemented properly) to reduce unintentional introduction of invasive species, or c) presence or no presence of invasive species. Scoring guidance
0 - No measures taken to avoid/stop the spread of invasive species
1 - Actions are identified to avoid/stop the spread of invasive species through cultivation and collection activities but are not implemented
2 - Most of the identified corrective actions are implemented to avoid/stop the spreading of invasive species; the spreading of invasive species is significantly reduced and does not represent a systemic problem but it is not completely avoided/stopped
3 - All necessary measures are taken to avoid/stop the spreading of invasive species or there is not unintentional spread of invasive species through cultivation/collection activities
N/A – in the justification, please explain why
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Importance
Critical
ApplicabilityCultivation & wild collectionField operators |