Introducing COBRAS: The Centre for One Biosecurity Research Analysis and Synthesis.
The world is facing major sociological, political, and environmental predicaments that require interdisciplinary biosecurity strategies and responses. Greater international movement of people and goods from areas that present high biosecurity risks will heighten the threat of incursions, and these incursions will spread more rapidly due to increased intensification of agricultural and urban landscapes, while shifts in social licence will constrain management options. At the 10th plenary session of the United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in September 2023, all 143 Member States unanimously approved the Assessment of Invasive Alien Species and their Control. This landmark assessment comprehensively reports for the first time the dramatic trends, driving force and impacts of invasive alien species worldwide as well as the management and policy options available to both the public and private sector. A key element of improved governance promoted in the IPBES assessment is the One Biosecurity approach. One Biosecurity is an interdisciplinary approach to biosecurity policy and research that builds on the interconnections between human, animal, plant, and environmental health to prevent and mitigate the impacts of invasive alien species more effectively. Although there have been calls to better integrate invasive alien species threats under a One Health umbrella, there is increasing recognition that One Health remains largely focused on interactions between human and animal health, especially in relation to zoonoses, while plant and ecosystem health considerations remain poorly integrated in terrestrial systems and are virtually absent in an aquatic context.
Currently, strong sectorial identities exist within biosecurity that are associated with specific international standards, individual economic sectors such as health, agriculture and the environment, specific research communities and unique stakeholder involvement.
A One Biosecurity perspective will require the bringing together of taxonomists, population biologists, modellers, economists, chemists, engineers, and social scientists to engage in an agenda that is shaped by politics, legislation, and public perceptions. A more integrated research community is also essential to deliver One Biosecurity. To this end, Lincoln University has established a Centre of Excellence with an exclusive focus on One Biosecurity. The Centre for One Biosecurity Research, Analysis and Synthesis (COBRAS) is dedicated to implementing an accelerated approach to scientific discovery based around synthesis, data access and collaboration to foster a global community of more than 100 researchers and stakeholders eager to solve some of the toughest challenges underpinning biosecurity. COBRAS aims to strengthen interconnections between animal, plant, and environmental health to deliver innovative strategies to prevent and mitigate future biosecurity risks in the agriculture, forestry, and environment sectors. For example, a recent COBRAS workshop highlighted four major interlinked advances likely to shape biosecurity responses soon: implementation of new surveillance technologies adopting state-of-the-art sensors connected to the Internet of Things, deployable handheld molecular and genomic tracing tools, the incorporation of wellbeing and diverse human values into biosecurity decision-making, and sophisticated socio-environmental models and data capture. The relevance and applicability of these innovations to address threats from pathogens, pests, and weeds in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems emphasize the opportunity to build critical mass around interdisciplinary teams at a global scale that can rapidly advance science solutions targeting biosecurity threats.
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