Biosecurity risks of invasive alien insect pest species pathways through shared borders with Nigeria

Abstract

Understanding the biosecurity risks that invasive alien insect pest species currently ravaging forest trees pose is of great importance to forest ecosystems and health. This problem has posed significant challenges to researchers, relevant stakeholders, policy makers and national biosecurity agencies worldwide. This study gives an overview of the top 15 suspected insect pest species most likely to invade or have already invaded forested habitats in order to disrupt ecosystem services and biodiversity within the borders of Nigeria through borderline states (Gombe, Jigawa, Borno, Yobe, Sokoto, Cross River and Lagos). For Nigeria as a whole, all of these top 15 pest species have already established, with identified intra- border line states having no significant effect on severity of invasions ( F_1,6=0.07, P=0.910) when compared to identified inter-border line states. This study concludes that the immediate biosecurity risks from already identified invasive insect pests are greater from outside country (inter) borders of Nigeria than within state-to-state (intra) borders of Nigeria. Our findings have potentially significant implications for immediate implementation of national biosecurity forest policy Acts in compliance with Cartagena and Nagoya protocols, emphasizing the need to initiate and implement biosecurity measures simultaneously with any ongoing trans-national border interventions.

Keywords: Biosecurity, invasive alien pest species, forests, Nigeria