2020 International Year of Plant Health, Protecting plants, protecting life
The United Nations has declared 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). The year is a once in a lifetime opportunity to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development.
The focus is on pests and diseases because they have the greatest impact on crops, the health of our environment and our way of life.
The goal of the year
The goal of the IYPH is to mobilise governments, industries, organisations, scientists and the public to:
- work together in protecting the world’s plants against the spread of devastating pests
- encourage scientific innovation to address pest threats
- promote responsible practices that reduce pest spread
- increase public and private sector support for more sustainable plant health strategies and services.
In Australia
Our agricultural industries, landscapes and biodiversity are under threat from pests and diseases. What’s at stake in Australia is our plant industries, which produce more than $30 billion worth of produce each year, and our natural environments such as our national parks, that have been estimated to deliver more than $6 trillion worth of benefits to Australia.
Factors such as international and interstate movement, tourism and the increasing volume of goods moved into and around the country are all contributing to these increasing risks. Therefore, it is a great opportunity for us to build awareness of the importance of plant health, its wide-ranging impacts and available treatment options for our growers in Australia.
