Abstract:
Climate change already challenges people’s livelihood globally and it also affects plant
health. Rising temperatures facilitate the introduction and establishment of unwanted organisms,
including arthropods, pathogens, and weeds (hereafter collectively called pests). For example, a
single, unusually warm winter under temperate climatic conditions may be sufficient to assist the
establishment of invasive plant pests, which otherwise would not be able to establish. In addition,
the increased market globalization and related transport of recent years, coupled with increased
temperatures, has led to favorable conditions for pest movement, invasion, and establishment
worldwide. Most published studies indicate that, in general, pest risk will increase in agricultural
ecosystems under climate-change scenarios, especially in today’s cooler arctic, boreal, temperate, and
subtropical regions. This is also mostly true for forestry. Some pests have already expanded their
host range or distribution, at least in part due to changes in climate. Examples of these pests, selected
according to their relevance in different geographical areas, are summarized here. The main pathways
used by them, directly and/or indirectly, are also discussed. Understanding these pathways can
support decisions about mitigation and adaptation measures. The review concludes that preventive
mitigation and adaptation measures, including biosecurity, are key to reducing the projected increases
in pest risk in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry. Therefore, the sustainable management of pests is
urgently needed. It requires holistic solutions, including effective phytosanitary regulations, globally
coordinated diagnostic and surveillance systems, pest risk modeling and analysis, and preparedness
for pro-active management.
