ABSTRACT
Area-wide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) focuses on the preventive management of pest populations throughout the ecosystem. It seeks to treat all habitats of the pest population in space and time so that none produces migrants to re-establish significant infestations in areas of concern. In contrast, the conventional strategy focuses narrowly on defending the valued entity (crop, livestock, people, buildings, etc.) from direct attack by pests. AW-IPM requires multi-year planning and commitment, coordination among stakeholders, and an organization dedicated exclusively to its implementation, whereas conventional pest management involves minimal forward planning, tends to be reactive, and is implemented independently by individual producers, businesses, or households. AW-IPM tends to integrate advanced technologies, whereas the conventional strategy tends to rely on traditional tactics and tools. The sterile insect technique (SIT) is a species-specific form of birth control imposed to suppress or contain target pest populations, although it is a very powerful tool for “mopping up” sparse and isolated pest populations. On environmental, economic and biological grounds, in many situations the case for the SIT is compelling. While only some area-wide programmes integrate the SIT, deployment as part of an area-wide management system is essential for the SIT to be effective.
