Programme Coordination Unit News

The GEF/UNDP/IMO GloBallast Program, a project, executed by IMO which is aimed at preventing the spread of unwanted alien organisms in ballast water, has won the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) Queen's Golden Jubilee Marine Environment Award. The final “heat” was held on the evening of 1 October, when the finalists made a presentation to the judging panel and a general audience at IMarEST’s London headquarters. The problem of invasive species is largely due to the expanded trade and traffic volume over the last few decades. The effects in many areas of the world have been devastating. Quantitative data show the rate of bio-invasions is continuing to increase at an alarming rate, in many cases exponentially, and new areas are being invaded all the time.