Yet food and forest production systems, as well as native environments around the world, are just as threatened by emerging epidemics.
Under restrictions on human movement - necessary to curb the virus' spread - the field and laboratory work that are crucial for surveillance and management of plant diseases has been severely curtailed.
Biosecurity relies on four things: prevention (at port of entry); preparedness (early detection, diagnostics and control); response (to contain and eradicate or manage plant pests and diseases); and recovery (systems for regulating eradication, management or restoration).
Once a pest is introduced into one country a whole continent's food, forestry and native systems could be threatened.
Firstly, an assessment is needed of the impact of the original COVID-19 responses on plant health biosecurity systems, so as to plan for coming months and years.
