Unbelievable： China loses more than 200 billion yuan every year because of exotic species! Or related to travel online shopping.

　　CCTV News:The third international conference on biological invasion is scheduled to be held in Hangzhou from November 19th to 23rd. This conference focuses on the control of 1000 alien invasive organisms under the background of genomics. Faced with these profound words, you may ask, why are all kinds of conferences going on endlessly, and what is this conference for? Is it relevant to what we know?

　　What is the International Biological Invasion Conference?

　　The first international conference on biological invasion was held in Fuzhou in 2009, which reached the Fuzhou Declaration on Biological Invasion to strengthen international cooperation to deal with biological invasion under global changes, established an international expert committee on biological invasion, organized an international scientific forum on biological invasion, and decided to hold the international conference on biological invasion every four years. Therefore, the second international conference on biological invasion was held in Qingdao in 2013, and the third conference should be held in 2017 this year, which will be held in Hangzhou on the west lake.

　　Through the successful convening of the previous two international conferences on biological invasion, more than 1,000 experts and representatives from more than 50 countries and regions engaged in the study of alien biological invasion discussed the hot and difficult issues in the study of invasive biology, which effectively promoted the basic and applied research of invasive biology and created a global platform for scientists to exchange and cooperate. Therefore, the conference is a major international event in the field of biological invasion, which has consolidated and strengthened the academic position of China scientists in the field of international biological invasion research.

　　What is alien invasion?

　　Invasion of alien organisms refers to the phenomenon that organisms move from the place of origin to a new area through natural or artificial means, and settle in the local natural or artificial ecological environment, reproduce and spread themselves, which eventually destroys the ecological balance in this area and causes ecological disasters.

　　Invasion of alien organisms has become an ecological problem, and its scope is all over the world. Invasion of alien organisms has intensified the competition and substitution of species and the evolution of population status. This is one of the important reasons leading to the loss of biodiversity, and it also threatens the ecological environment, agricultural production and economic development.

　　What are the challenges for China to face the invasion of alien organisms?

　　With the acceleration of globalization, China has become one of the countries suffering from the most serious biological invasion, and the serious impact of biological invasion on economy and ecology has aroused widespread concern in the whole society. Since the 21st century, China has identified more than 500 alien invasive species, involving almost all ecosystems such as farmland, forests, waters, wetlands and grasslands, and has become one of the countries suffering from the most serious biological invasion in the world. According to the data of the 19th International Botanical Congress, which closed recently, there are 291 species of alien invasive plants confirmed in China, and the economic losses caused by the invasion of alien plants are as high as 100 billion yuan every year. As of 2013, the invasion of alien organisms has caused China’s annual loss to exceed 200 billion.

　　Now that everyone’s living standard is high, outbound travel and overseas purchase have already become the normal life of most people. In the face of customs entry and quarantine inspection, most people actually have a kind of resistance and come up with various tricks to deal with it. What is found out and intercepted is the data on the surface. Those alien creatures that can’t be found out and brought into the country may have already started to "like a duck to water" in our country. From another perspective, these people who have escaped quarantine inspection are accomplices who help alien creatures invade us.

　　Prevention and control of alien invasion has a long way to go.

　　In recent years, China’s relevant quarantine departments have actively cooperated with foreign quarantine departments, joined hands with countries along the Belt and Road Initiative to strengthen the prevention and control of the cross-border spread of exotic pests, and participated in relevant affairs of international organizations such as FAO, IPPC, OIE and CBD. As of August this year, 285 ports directly under the 35 inspection and quarantine bureaus in China have been opened to the outside world, and 749 on-site animal and plant quarantine facilities, 800 quarantine facilities and 77 key animal and plant quarantine laboratories have been built. In recent years, China’s inspection and quarantine institutions have intercepted more than 1 million alien pests on average every year.

　　The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out that we should strengthen the protection of ecosystems and build a beautiful China, and we should comprehensively promote the diplomacy of a big country with China characteristics and promote the building of a community of human destiny. With the theme of "improving the management ability of biological invasion, helping the Belt and Road construction and ensuring the development of international trade", this conference will consolidate and strengthen the academic position of China scientists in the field of international biological invasion research, and vigorously enhance China’s right to speak in international affairs of biological invasion. Experts also said that global joint prevention and control is the fundamental way to effectively prevent the invasion of alien species and ensure the economic security, ecological security and social stability of all countries, and called on the international community to strengthen cooperation, which coincides with our concept.

　　Prevent and control the invasion of alien creatures and build a beautiful ecological home together; Protecting the biological safety of the country is related to you and me, and it is beneficial for the future!