Collaborative writeshop produces pest management decision guides for invasive species in Pakistan

Invasive alien species (IAS) have devastating impacts on native biota, causing the decline or even extinction of native species, negatively affecting ecosystems. Invasive plants, animals, insects and microorganisms enter and establish in environments outside of their natural habitat. They reproduce rapidly, out-compete native species for food, water and space, and are one of the main…
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CABI’s new quarantine facility creates greater capacity for Parthenium research in Pakistan

Parthenium Field Research and Sampling.
CABI has increased its capacity to fight the highly invasive and destructive Parthenium weed by opening a new quarantine facility at its Central and Western Asia (CWA) offices and laboratories in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
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CABI publishes recommendations to fight scourge of parthenium weed in Central West Asia

CABI has published a new evidence note highlighting a list of recommendations to fight the highly-invasive parthenium weed which can have significant impacts on human health, the environment, livestock production and health and crop yields. The report ‘Parthenium: Impacts and coping strategies in Central West Asia’, states that the aggressively-spreading weed, now classified as a ‘superior…
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Zygogramma bicolorata released at selected sites in Pakistan as biological control of parthenium

Parthenium hysterophorus is a highly destructive weed which has invaded and is widespread in around 48 countries in Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific. In Pakistan the weed is spreading rapidly westwards and southwards across both rural and urban landscapes, affecting native ecology and harming agriculture.
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Action on Invasives short course on classical weed biological control

Invasive species pose a serious threat to food security, biodiversity, water resources, human and animal health, and economic development. It is widely acknowledged that integrated control is the most effective strategy in managing invasive plants where it involves the use of herbicides, manual or mechanical control, and biological control agents in an integrated way. Last…
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Parthenium awareness campaign reaches urban population in Islamabad

In Pakistan, the highly invasive weed Parthenium hysterophorus is not only a problem for rural areas, in fact it is of equal concern for urban residents as well. Known locally as ‘Gajar Booti’, Parthenium is a major pest of both cropped and non-cropped areas of Pakistan, causing severe economic, environmental, and health-related problems.
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Raising rural awareness of Parthenium in Pakistan

Parthenium hysterophorus is a noxious weed and a growing threat for agriculture, human health as well as the economy. In Pakistan, it has been reported that this weed is present almost everywhere, but the dilemma is that the general public have little to no knowledge about its harmful impacts. Keeping in view these facts, CABI…
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When astronomers meet ecologists: how remote sensing can tackle Parthenium in Pakistan

“Usually I’m looking up at the stars but with this project, I’m back down to earth” quips Dr Rene Breton, Director of Research at the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester. By combining the skills of a geographer, ecologist, social scientist, entomologist, astrophysicist, biologist, and electrical engineer, the joint CABI and…
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CABI unveils action plan to fight highly invasive and destructive weed

Parthenium weed causes harm to the environment, health, as well as the economy. CABI has launched a comprehensive action plan aimed at combating the scourge of Parthenium, a highly invasive species of weed, prevalent and spreading in Pakistan.
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Workshops to combat Parthenium in Pakistan

A training session was recently organized by CABI in Pakistan on the identification and management of Parthenium Hysterophorous to a variety of stakeholders. These activities were part of the Parthenium awareness campaign which CABI has launched under Action on Invasives, in the Sheikhupura district (Pilot district), Punjab focusing particularly on rural communities.
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