Prospects for the biological control of weeds in Argentina

Argentina hosted pioneering classical weed biological control projects that were carried out by state institutions between the 1970s and 1990s, at a time when the practice was almost unheard of in Latin America. Despite the early development of these initiatives, the discipline did not prosper and all projects were discontinued. Notwithstanding, Argentina continued to provide biological control agents for the control of weeds in many other parts of the world, ensuring the expertise persisted. Although public concern about invasive plants and chemical-dependent agricultural practices has increased over time, it did not lead to a greater acceptance of classical biological control of weeds, which is still regarded with mistrust or ignored in many public and academic circles alike. Furthermore, there are no systems in place to reach a consensus on declaring weeds as targets for biological control in Argentina. In this paper we discuss different ways in which the community of researchers working in the field in Argentina can help relaunch the biological control of weeds, including the preparation of a prioritized list of target species. A list of this kind would not only reduce costs, but also help in developing trust in the discipline of biological control informing regulators and decision makers in this regard. Prospects are brighter today than a few years ago, but considerable communication and educational work on the benefits of this practice is still required to gain more support before it can effectively be re-implemented.

Fil: Anderson, Freda Elizabeth. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Centro de Recursos Naturales Renovables de la Zona Semiárida; Argentina

Fil: Zalba, Sergio Martín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; Argentina

Fil: Ansaldi, J.. Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible. Dirección Nacional de Biodiversidad; Argentina

Fil: Sosa, Alejandro Joaquín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas; Argentina

Fil: Mc Kay, Fernando. Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas; Argentina

Fil: Cabrera Walsh, Guillermo José. Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas; Argentina