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Issues

Invasive species have become the leading cause of biodiversity loss, but are also a threat to our agrosystems. Due to its insularity and the high level of endemism of its flora and fauna, Reunion Island is particularly sensitive to biological invasions, which must be controlled. The aim of the project is to ensure agroecological protection of crops through biocontrol actions and to propose decision support tools to improve efforts to tackle these invasive species.

Description

In the first stage, involving knowledge acquisition on the bioecology and genetics of these pests and their natural enemies (parasitoids, predators, entomopathogenic fungi, etc.), the functional biodiversity and food webs are characterised with a view to implementing biological control (conservation or inundative). Studies are also conducted on indigenous pollinators of agro-ecosystems.
The second area focuses on assessing the biocidal efficacy of plant extracts and researches new attractants  with a view to proposing methods for the agroecological management of pest populations in greenhouses or in the field (vegetables, fruit and sugarcane).
The third area consists in developing digital and mapping tools for the spatial prioritisation of actions, for use by decision-makers, to improve the coordination of these actions, the targeting of resources and the effectiveness of control measures.

Expected changes

-    Environmentally friendly practices and integrated agriculture for horticultural sectors.
-    Agroecological crop protection methods based on biological control for the sugarcane sector.
-    New pollinators for crops grown under cover in order to increase the number of flowers fertilised and subsequent fruiting.
-    Monitoring of pest populations and their resistance for better coordination of control actions in Reunion Island.
-    Development of techniques to control invasive alien species.

Expected impacts

-    Competitive agriculture with an agroecological dynamic will develop based on R&D results.
-    Crop production will be increased and diversified with more secure modes of production.
-    Cropping systems and agricultural practices conducive to the protection of biodiversity and landscapes based on biocontrol will be encouraged and consolidated.
-    Knowledge transfer will be established in an inter-sectoral approach with networking for better coordination of control actions in Reunion Island.
-    Managers of natural areas will have techniques to control invasive alien species.