10.4 PRINCIPLES FOR AN INCURSION MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR INTRODUCED EXOTIC MARINE SPECIES

The Precautionary Principle, as set forth in the Rio Declaration and the InterGovernmental Agreement on the Environment (IGAE), declares that:

Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation⁴⁸¹

The Precautionary Principle has been incorporated into legal and policy documents internationally and nationally. Australia is signatory to a number of international treaties and national agreements adopting or acknowledging the precautionary principle. These include:

· Convention on Biological Diversity;
· National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development;
· InterGovernmental Agreement on the Environment; and
· National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia's Biological Diversity.
In addition, there are a number of other national policy documents which include the Precautionary Principle as part of the definition of Ecologically Sustainable Development. These policy documents include:

· Commonwealth Coastal Policy;
· National Water Quality Strategy;
· National Forests Policy Statement; and
· Decade of Landcare Plan.

In the context of management of exotic species, the Committee considers that the Precautionary Principle provides an appropriate and workable criterion for decision making. The Committee believes, therefore, that eradication of newly introduced exotic species should be the primary management objective.

If eradication attempts fail, then management of the incursion should become the next priority. The Committee recommends that a rational framework for setting management objectives and priorities be adopted, based on the relative value of different areas (in terms of conservation or production) and the relative likelihood of control.

Recommendation 12 That the Victorian Government applies the Precautionary Principle as a basis for decision making associated with the eradication and management of introduced exotic species in Victorian coastal waters.