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Table 4: Examples of IAS that are Known or Suspected to Impact Development Assistance
Type of Project
Examples of Species Adversely Impacting Development Assistance
All Projects
Parasites and pathogens that move unintentionally
Irrigation and Drainage
Aquatic weeds (e.g., Eichhornia crassipes, Salvinia molesta, Mimosa pigra,
Pistia stratiotes.)
Hydroelectric
Aquatic weeds (e.g., Eichhornia crassipes, Salvinia molesta, Mimosa pigra,
Pistia stratiotes.)
Food Security
Specially in rice: Golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata), Rats (Rattus
spp.); invasive fish (e.g., Oreochromis niloticus, Cyrpinus carpio)
River Basin Management
Invasive fish (e.g., Oreochromis niloticus, Cyrpinus carpio); aquatic weeds
(e.g., Eichhornia crassipes, Salvinia molesta, Mimosa pigra, Pistia stratiotes)
Water-based tourism
Aquatic weeds (e.g., Eichhornia crassipes, Salvinia molesta, Mimosa pigra,
Pistia stratiotes)
Watershed Development
Aquatic weeds (e.g., Eichhornia crassipes, Salvinia molesta, Mimosa pigra,
Pistia stratiotes)
Development Assistance Projects
Adversely Impacted by IAS
Once IAS become established, they can reduce the effectiveness of
development projects by increasing the costs and undermining the intended socio-
economic benefits. Golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) (GAS; see case
study), a well-established IAS in Southeast Asia is one of the best-documented
examples of this phenomenon. GAS poses a significant threat to agriculture
and biodiversity, as well as water and food security projects. Since 1970, USAID
has provided funding to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in an
effort to support research that will help increase food security worldwide (Moore
2003a). GAS undercuts these efforts by devastating rice production.
Several plant and fish species (see Table 4) are also known or suspected
to reduce the effectiveness of development assistance projects. However, due to a
paucity of adequate data, the extent of the problem is not clear. Development
projects typically fail to monitor and thus evaluate the impacts of IAS on their
projects. Thus, for this assessment, the authors had to heavily rely on interviews
with researchers and development agency field staff to obtain reliable information.
Table 4: Examples of IAS that are Known or Suspected to Impact Development Assistance