Biosecurity: The Socio-politics of Invasive Species and Infectious Diseases

Biosecurity The Socio-Politics of Invasive Species and Infectious Diseases Ed. By Andrew Dobson, Keizer Barker and Sarah L. Taylor

The editors are professors and scholars in a variety of disciplines, from natural science to politics and political geography to resource management. This book introduces the ideas behind the science of Biosecurity. Biosecurity involves governance in response to concerns in protecting human health, biological organisms, and agriculture from pest and disease.
In the US the term generally invokes concerns involving bioterrorism whereas in numerous island states as well as New Zealand and Australia it involves an environmental conservation ethic, while in Britain and Europe it generally indicates concerns over agricultural security and pests and diseases.
These are quite different definitions. The categories do overlap a great deal, however, "as invasive plants spread plant pathogens," as well, "invasive animals introduce disease to agricultural domestic animals" and when laboratory security is breached, it is "dealt with as a bioterrorism event."
Biosurveillance, "the production, analysis, and circulation of information on potential invasive events or epidemics," forms the most crucial and ongoing aspect of biosecurity.
There were a few cool things about this book. I didn't realize biosecurity was so hotly debated with so many spin-off topics, rather than simply implemented. And the final part of the book was particularly thought-provoking, as it talked about climate change and how, despite every effort, different species are joining and at times replacing current ones. For a layperson, the idea of inevitability was a troubling idea, because I would like biosecurity to be strictly controlled. Part 2 was the most reassuring on this front, describing how we are continually finessing the system.
Interesting book usefully divided into four interdisciplinary parts.
Part 1 "Framing Biosecurity " establishes why we might need biosecurity, part 2, "Implementing Biosecurity" looks at the different frameworks that underpin biosecurity practices. Part 3, "Biosecurity and Geopolitics" looks at the international dimensions of the issue and part 4 addresses Biosecurity "from the point of view of the human/nonhuman relationship" as well as examining the implications of climate change.
I found another useful point in Part 1, chapter three, where contributor Bruce Braun points out that "we should be talking about biosecurities (plural) rather than biosecurity (singular) since the managing of biological risk takes many different forms in many different contexts." He also remarks that "biosecurity must be read as an ethical issue, not merely a technical or logistic one." I saw the merit in this assertion, as it involves, among other things, sorting life into desirable and undesirable forms worthy of protection within a boundaried area.
Part 2, the reassuring section of the book, compares governance approaches and also asks an ethical question, "too risky for whom or what?" The author Andrew Donaldson prefers New Zealand's approach, where the "practice is regarded as a subset of national security" using an "integrated approach" of monitoring, licensing and strict border control. He compares this with the UK, which among other things emphasizes animal over plant health, making it not as strong in dealing with plant-related challenges.
In Part Three, Addressing Biosecurity and Geopolitics, Clive Potter presents the idea that "risk assessment is a political tool," designed "to depoliticize the biosecurity issue and to render disputes amenable to purely technocratic solutions."
The question is layered as other chapters point out that biosecurity and risk assessment varies from place to place, and it is of high concern that such inconsistencies in various agencies affect the pathways of species.
The final section and conclusion address the future of biosecurity. It raises the point that future growth in international trade and travel will "cause invasions no matter how stringent containment policies are" not to mention other actions such as rewilding as "the very process of making life secure can generate new insecurities."
The book concludes with an assessment of future risks and uncertainties in the context of climate change and globalization. This final section takes on a difficult topic, as climate change alters the landscape considerably. They address the fear of an alien future and the more dramatic impacts of climate change. While a greater understanding of the ecology of infectious disease is needed to protect vulnerable populations, new technology is assisting them in rising to the task. Advances in the field of monitoring a new age of remote sensors are also taking a role, as is digital spatial mapping. Climate change has become the ultimate catalyst to increase efforts in preventing the influx of diseases. However, as this book was written pre-COVID, I will assume that much has been built upon this incentive. Near the wrap-up, to my surprise, the authors actually presented the opinion that rather than focusing on stopping invasive species, the future of our ecosystems may actually depend on the arrival of new species adapting to new places. Invasive species, in certain controlled cases, may have the potential to increase resilience and thereby maintain ecosystems in the long run. A bit of a grim read at moments but interesting and worth the investment.

Dobson, A. P., Barker, K., & Taylor, S. L. (2013). Biosecurity: The socio-politics of Invasive Species and Infectious Diseases. Routledge.