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Introduction
As our climate changes, weather patterns are expected to shift (Beddington et al. 2012; Vermeulen et al. 2012), which could significantly alter growing conditions and therefore the populations of insects, weeds, pathogens and invasive species across the Fraser Valley (Climate Action Initiative, 2015). These changes are likely to increase the complexity and challenges associated with pest management.
In 2016, an inventory was created that documented pest-related activities in the Fraser Valley, as well as perceived pest threats across 30 agricultural commodities. The pest-related activities included research, outreach, monitoring, and surveillance, and resulted in a list of over 300 projects that have been conducted in the Fraser Valley over the past five years. In addition to this information, interviews were conducted with specialists, growers and producers to establish top priority pests or pests that were believed to be an increasing threat to each commodity. This is a wealth of information for the region and further analysis would be valuable for identifying key areas for future attention and investment. The additional analysis of the Fraser Valley Pest Assessment Inventory undertaken below is intended to assist in focusing activities and research to mitigate pest-related impacts on the agricultural community in this region. This initial assessment could provide a platform for a cohesive and coordinated approach to shared pest threats, and will inform a series of fact sheets that will improve the availability of relevant management information for Fraser Valley producers.
This analysis below focuses on the pests of importance that are identified through the inventory. It is important to note that ‘pest’ refers to any living organism that causes economic damage to a crop or livestock commodity, and therefore encompasses diseases, plants, and animals. The objective of the inventory analysis is to identify emerging pest threats, as well as to categorise established pests for which attention is needed. The categories utilized for analysis of the inventory are: pests affecting multiple commodities; pests with potential for cross-commodity research; pests affecting just one commodity; and emerging pests.
Following this analysis, fact sheets on a selected short-list of pests will be created to improve knowledge and promote management. A communications plan has been included with this analysis to ensure that the fact sheets are distributed using the preferred methods of communication that were identified in the inventory.
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