8 November 2011: The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) signed a supplementary agreement for the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 on invasive species, on 7 November 2011, in Montreal, Canada, on the margins of the 15th meeting of the CBD’s Subsidiary Body on Scientific Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 15).

The cooperation between IUCN and the CBD follows the recognition that scientific data and cooperation is needed for early detection and rapid response to invasive species. Ahmed Djoghlaf, CBD Executive Secretary, said existing capacity at the local level is not adequate to stop the spread of invasives.

The CBD Secretariat, IUCN Species Survival Committee (SSC) Invasive Species Specialist Group and IUCN Invasive Species Initiative agreed to cooperate to promote the achievement of Aichi Target 9, which calls for, by 2020: identifying and prioritizing invasive species; controlling and eradicating priority species; and implementing measures to manage pathways to prevent their introduction and establishment. [CBD Communiqué] [IUCN Press Release]