PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Globalisation of trade and travel has facilitated the spread of invasive non-native species, and climate change has enhanced their survival in new localities. Europe has seen the introduction and subsequent establishment of more than 11 000 alien species, of which at least 15% are invasive and detrimental. Insects are the dominant group among non-native terrestrial invertebrates in Europe: of 1 522 established species, 86% are insects. There is global concern over the potential for an increase in mosquito-borne diseases due to changes in the distribution of invasive mosquito populations caused by environmental modifications, ecosystem disturbance and climate change. Predicted increases in rainfall and temperature, for example, may extend the distribution of mosquitoes and associated pathogens, and shorten the development time of mosquito larvae and the incubation period of pathogens. Warmer and wetter weather is likely to increase seasonal activity of mosquitoes, while rising sea levels are expected to produce more wetland areas suitable for mosquito breeding. Indeed, a considerable increase in the spread of invasive mosquito species has been observed in Europe since the late 1990s, accompanied by the emergence or re-emergence of ‘forgotten’ mosquito-borne diseases such as chikungunya, dengue, West Nile fever and malaria. Therefore, it is particularly important to step up the surveillance of invasive mosquito species in areas where they could transmit diseases.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE CONOPS project aimed to draw up integrated management plans for the effective and environmentally-friendly management of invasive mosquito species (IMS), to prevent their entry, spread and establishment across Europe. Specific objectives included the identification and characterisation of the current status of the IMS problem; assessment of the environmental parameters that affect the establishment of IMS in Europe; the development and implementation of a novel monitoring device in identified high-risk areas; and the development, implementation and monitoring of management plans to confront the IMS threat in Greece and Italy
RESULTS
The LIFE CONOPS project established systematic mosquito surveillance for the first time in Greece, developed and pilot-operated innovative monitoring devices, and implemented mosquito control and management methods in both Greece and Italy.
The project beneficiaries established and operated 12 prototype Invasive Mosquito Species Monitoring Devices (IMS MDs): 8 in Greece and 4 in Italy. The first systematic mosquito surveillance system in Greece was created through the deployment of the IMS MDs in combination with an extensive network of ovitraps in 17 locations/ports of entry (e.g. Athens International Airport, Piraeus Containers Terminal). Ovitraps were also deployed in 3 locations in Italy (e.g. Ravenna port) in addition to the IMS MDs. Ovitraps attract pregnant female mosquitoes and enable their eggs to be collected for monitoring purposes. BG sentinel traps were deployed to catch adult mosquitoes, and the project also identified and produced oregano (Origanum vulgare) essential oils with larvicidal and mosquito repellent activities and tested them in real field conditions (check relevant scientific papers: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00436-017-5721-6 and https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2018.00204/full).
The project team developed, compiled and implemented IMS Management Plans (check relevant scientific paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477893920301599). These included the successful pilot implementation of a door-to-door strategy in both Greece and Italy. A pilot implementation of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) was successful against the invasive mosquito species Aedes albopictus, in an area of Attica, for the first time in Greece. The SIT, implemented in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency, serves as a demonstration of the technique's effectiveness and it may be incorporated in relevant national, European or International Action Plans (check relevant scientific papers: https://www.mdpi.com/1018348, https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/2/110/htm, https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/4/2/83 and https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0202451).
A comprehensive economic analysis was elaborated for an IMS epidemic scenario in Athens. The project team also elaborated an Environmental Impact Assessment for the implementation of the IMS Management Plans in the pilot monitoring areas.
Direct environmental benefits result from the systematic entomological surveillance of invasive mosquito species. Data obtained enables more cost-effective mosquito control methods, with less insecticide use due to its application being better targeted. The improved mosquito surveillance system has increased the capacity for early detection of new invasive species at points of entry. Citizens’ awareness has been raised on the issue of IMS, and the adoption of sustainable practices for their management.
The project contributed to the development and adoption of national policies regarding the management and control of IMS and the disease risk that they carry. The IMS Management Plans that the project developed have already become legally operational in Greece through their incorporation in the National Action Plan for the confrontation of DEN, CHKV and ZIKV and have already been applied in imported cases of the above infections. These plans have also been adopted and applied by the relevant Regional authorities in Italy.
In the long-term, the continued operation of IMS MDs and the collection of data will be useful for decision-making processes in the areas of mosquito surveillance and control, and public health. IMS surveillance is expected to be extended in south-east Europe (e.g. to Albania, Montenegro and Turkey).
The project team concluded that there is potential for further development and commercialisation of the IMS MD. Relevant contacts were made with companies towards the project's end. There is also potential for the commercial development and use of the essential oils that the project produced as mosquito repellents or larvicidal products. The potential for early detection of IMS, especially in the face of climate change that is expected to increase the risk of IMS establishment, brings high societal benefits with respect to the protection of public health, and the design of cost-effective mosquito prevention and control strategies.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
