To accomplish these objectives, issues pertinent to California biological control will be addressed by Subcommittees. Subcommittee will post suggested guidelines on the website for further, interactive discussion. Guidelines will be finalized at a full meeting of the DANR Biological Control Workgroup.
Objective 1: Issues that impact the regulation and practice of biological control.
ISSUE #1 (Subcommittee 1 - Needs Assessment): Determining pre-release requirements for natural enemies, and setting goals for host- specificity safety tests. After a beneficial insect has been imported it goes through a quarantine period, during which time the possible negative impacts are evaluated. This process helps ensure that planned introductions have only positive or neutral impacts. However, the levels of pre-release screening of beneficial insects have varied greatly between target pest category, individual programs, agencies and regions.
The Subcommittee will discuss the pre-release process to determine the need for standardized screening guidelines for arthropods, which are currently not regulated in the same manner as weed BC agents. More rigorous pre-release studies will reduce potential negative impacts on non-target organisms. Improved self-policing for will also provided better information and assurance to the public on the beneficial aspects of imported organisms.
ISSUE #2 (Subcommittee 2 - Needs Assessment): Determining effects of natural enemies on non-target organisms, and post-release evaluation of natural enemy efficacy. There are numerous examples of released natural enemies that are "rumored" to provide excellent biological control. However, in the literature it is difficult to find what species were released, how many were released or where releases occurred. Similarly, there are rarely economic information on the impact that biological control has had on reducing pest control costs.
The Subcommittee will develop a pro-active protocol on the contentious issue of host-specificity testing of biological control agents for the control of arthropod pests and for assessing the impact of new natural enemy species cleared for release from quarantine on target pests. It will also develop a list of released organisms and target pests, from past biological control projects, that need evaluation. The DANR Workgroup will provide the leadership to develop AES and county-based CE programs that detail past biological control progress, based on work group consensus.
ISSUE #3 (Subcommittee 3 - Extramural Funding): Identifying funding for foreign exploration and insectary and quarantine operations. Biological control relies heavily upon funds for foreign exploration. While foreign exploration is also conducted by CDFA and USDA-ARS employees or affiliates based overseas, the CDFA does not have ready access to quarantine facilities and their work needs to be collaborative with either UC or the USDA. Better support for these activities within the UC system would greatly enhance effectiveness of current programs and would facilitate inter-agency cooperation. For example, the costs of foreign exploration and insectary rearing has largely been supported by commodity groups (e.g. citrus, grapes); however, cooperative work between USDA and UCR personnel for pink hibiscus mealybug provide better interagency cooperation and led to greater program efficiency.
The subcommittee will investigate sources of funding and links for interagency collaboration on foreign exploration and I&Q operations. Sources of funding for museum specialists working on natural enemy systematics will be also be described and posted on the website.
Objective 2: Increase interagency communication.
ISSUE #1 (Subcommittee 4 - Communication & Extension): Planning for California Conference on Biological Control (CCBC). The timely exchange of information about ongoing biological control programs is a critical component of increased inter-agency collaboration. A unique forum to exchange ideas and update colleagues was instituted in 1998 with the California Conference on Biological Control (CCBC) held in Berkeley (1998) and Riverside (2000). The Proceedings of the CCBC I and II provided information on current biological control projects in California. The 2-day meeting brings biological control practitioners together for an open exchange. Both programs were highly successful, each with over 150 participants. The CCBC Subcommittee will form the fourth Subcommittee. The 1999- 2000 CCBC planning workgroup consisted of 22 individuals representing UC (AES & CE), USDA-APHIS, CDFA, CDPR, and Ag. Commissioners Offices. The Subcommittee will identify critical areas in biological control of is importance to California and plan a conference as a public forum for the presentation and discussion of these issues. It will meet to determine conference sessions, keynote speakers, and the logistics of meeting advertisement, venue selection, and commencement of funding.
ISSUE #2 (Subcommittee 5 -Communication & Networking): Development of workgroup approved material detailing workgroup objectives, biological control efforts, and information of importance to California to be posted on a website maintained by the Center of Biological Control at UC Berkeley. Information will (1) describe past case-histories of biological control in California, (2) list researchers (in California) and their current projects, and (3) provide links or a directory to established websites on California pests, biological control agents, or agencies conducting research.
The Subcommittee will work with personnel at UC Berkeley to collect and provide information to the UC Berkeley website. For example, one task of the website will be to catalog current natural enemy importation programs in California. The list of targeted pest species and the natural enemies imported (and the countries of origin and importation dates) will be linked to the individual PIs websites (if available). This list will facilitate better communication between researchers in biological control and UCCE personnel or members of commodity boards as to the progress of natural enemy releases, establishment, and impact.
ISSUE #3 (Subcommittee 6 -Communication & Networking): Develop teaching collections of beneficial insects for use by extension agents. Extension tools in biological control need to be updated. The "slide show presentation" has lost much of its usefulness as it has become common for county-based CE personnel and PCAs to have advanced degrees and an excellent understanding of "beneficial" vs. "pest" organisms. Better teaching aids are needed and UC personnel are meeting that challenge by developing teaching collections of beneficial insects and video presentations.
This subcommittee will be responsible for taking documents or teaching aids (some generated by subcommittees) and making them publicly available either through the world-wide web or on-loan (e.g., teaching collections).
The Activities listed above deal, primarily, with the practice of biological control and seek to better inter-agency collaboration and facilitate enhanced research activity for ongoing projects. The proposed web site to be sponsored and maintained by the Center of Biological Control at UC Berkeley will improve communication and provide valuable information between the scientific community and the general public. We envision this web site to eventually become one of the key internet sites on biological control that will be referred to by scientists from around to world. The issues addressed by the biological control workgroup and the use of the California Conference on Biological Control as a forum for developing specific topics for detailed discussion and actions will greatly enhance the profile and practice of biological control in California. This 2-day conference, with symposia and a poster session, has been held at UC Berkeley (19980 and UC Riverside (1990). It will be held at UC Davis in 2002. The linkages developed through the CBCC conference will strengthen communication and further collaboration between different research agencies. Objective 1: Investigate statewide issues that impact the regulation and practice of biological control. Subcommittee 1 (Needs Assessment): Determining pre-release requirements for arthropod natural enemies, and setting goals for host-specificity safety tests. (Proposed Subcommittee chairs - Nick Mills, Robert Luck, Tom Bellows.) Objectives: This subcommittee will design protocols for discussion by workgroup members on systems for assessing the fitness of natural enemies before release from quarantine, and to develop a memorandum of understanding for biological control scientists in CA to consider when evaluating the safety of novel biological control agents towards potential non-target organisms. Proposed Implementation: The Subcommittee Chair will develop a document addressing the outlined objectives based on work group consensus and agreement on general principles that have broad applicability. Subcommittee 2 (Needs Assessment): Determining effects of natural enemies on non-target organisms, and post-release evaluation of natural enemy efficacy. (Proposed Subcommittee chairs - Don Dahlsten, George Roderick, Karen Klonsky.) Objectives: The subcommittee will develop a pro-active protocol on the contentious issue of host-specificity testing of biological control agents for the control of arthropod pests and for assessing the impact of new natural enemy species cleared for release from quarantine on target pests. Imlementation: The Subcommittee Chair will develop a document addressing the outlined objectives based on work group consensus and agreement on general principles that have broad applicability. Subcommittee 3 (Extramural Fund Development): Secure funding for insectary & quarantine infrastructures and foreign exploration efforts for natural enemies of pests of economic significance in CA. (Proposed Subcommittee chairs - Serguei Triapitsyn Linda Schmidt, Charlie Pickett.) Objectives: The charge of this subcommittee will be to identify and alert workgroup members to potential federal and state funds to support biological control operations in UC quarantine and insectary facilities and to pursue opportunities. Implementation: Subcommittee members will alert the chair to potential fund sources and provide support to parties interested in pursuing those funds. Objective 2: Increase interagency communication. Subcommittee 4. (Communication & Networking): Development of workgroup approved material biological control information of importance to California. (Proposed Subcommittee chairs - Mark Hoddle, Kent Daane, Mary Louise Flint) Objectives: This subcommittee will be responsible for taking documents or teaching aids generated by subcommittees and making them publicly available on the world-wide web. There will be a joint effort among Workgroup members and extension components of the University, particular the Statewide UC Integrated pest management project and the Sustainable Agriculture Education and Research Program. Implementation: Web page design, updates, and maintenance will be supported by the Center of Biological Control at UC Berkeley. Workgroup Subcommittee will help to collect information on current statewide projects. The Web site will also be used to link the Web sites of different agencies and biological control personnel. Subcommittee 5. (Communication & Networking): Develop teaching aids (e.g., collections of beneficial insects) for use by extension personnel for outreach UC clientel. Some material will specifically be directed towards Spanish-speaking field crews. (Proposed Subcommittee chairs: Mary Louise Flint, Lucia Varela, Miguel Altieri). Objectives: This subcommittee will be responsible for taking documents or teaching aids generated by subcommittees and making them publicly available either through the world-wide web (information) or loan (teaching collections). Implementation: Funding will be sought to develop teaching collections and field-orienting instructional materials on biological control. Web page design, updates, and maintenance will be supported by the Center of Biological Control at UC Berkeley, working in cooperation with the DANR Communication Services Unit. Subcommittee 6. (Communication & Networking): Planning for California Conference on Biological Control (CCBC). (Proposed Subcommittee chairs - Mark Hoddle, Kent Daane, Michael Parrella, Stacy Carlson.) Objectives: The subcommittee will identify critical areas in biological control of importance to California and plan a conference as a public forum for the presentation and discussion of these issues. Selected speakers from within CA and out of state will be invited to present at this meeting. CCBC will be held every two years. Implementation: The subcommittee will organize the meeting agenda, solicit speakers, and pursue funding sources to support CCBC. The subcommittee will also be charged with compiling a conference proceedings as a tangible record of the conference's events. Proceedings will be published and deposited at UC libraries. The proposed activities are directed not at any single research program, but at developing an improved infrastructure for communication and outreach for the entire biological control community of California. Therefore, the success of some of the DANR Biological Control Workgroup activities can be easily assessed by inter-agency membership in the Subcommittees assigned to each activity, development of the web site for posting of funding opportunities and proposed safety and evaluation protocols (i.e., standards of good practice for use in California), and historical reviews of biological control programs in California. Attendance numbers at the CCBC III and development of CCBC IV, and publication of the CCBC Proceedings that provide a tangible record of biological control activities in California at the time of the conference. None