Due to the continuous increase in international trade and climate change, forests are exposed to unprecedented threats from non-native insect pests and fungal pathogens. In Europe, their numbers continue to increase dramatically. Currently, the greatest damage to European forests is often caused by these invasive non-native organisms with economic losses of hundreds of millions of euros. Climate change also favours the emergence of previously innocuous native forest pests and pathogens. Whether exotic or native, forest pests and pathogens limit tree growth and cause tree mortality, which has a profound impact on the integrity of forest ecosystems and their ability to provide services and products for the bioeconomy.
The overall objective of HOMED was to deliver a comprehensive set of innovative and science-based practical tools to improve detection and control of emerging or invasive pests and pathogens that threaten EU forests, following a holistic and multi-actor approach. Holistic because we aimed to improve risk assessment and management strategies by targeting the successive phases of invasion (transport, introduction, establishment, and spread), and by developing mitigation methods for each phase of invasion, i.e. tools for prevention, detection and diagnosis, surveillance, eradication and control. Multi-actor because scientists communicated with stakeholders throughout the project to learn about their needs and constraints and validate tools as they were developed. Innovation was central, as new pest control tools must benefit from advanced technologies. It is difficult to predict the next invasive pests, so the approach was generic, allowing for application to a wide array of pest and pathogen species.
To achieve these goals, HOMED brought together leading experts from 23 partner organisations representing 15 countries in Europe, the United States, Asia, Africa, and Australia.
