This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Crackdown on alien species
03/03/2005
Experts from across Great Britain are joining forces to
fend off unwanted species of plants and animals, it was
announced today.
A new co-ordinating group, a partnership between the
Scottish Executive, Welsh Assembly and Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will seek out and
advise on the best methods of controlling the least wanted
alien invasive plant and animal species spreading through
our countryside.
Species such as the American mink, which escaped from
fur farms and threatens the survival of water voles and a
number of ground nesting birds, and the Japanese Knotweed,
whose roots have been known to burst through roads and
house foundations, could be included on the hit list.
Deputy Environment Minister Lewis Macdonald said:
"The Scottish Executive is committed to protecting and
enhancing the environment we live in.
"An increasing range of non-native invasive species pose
a serious threat to our natural habitats, species and
heritage.
"Although they have typically been introduced
"innocently", many of these species are out-competing some
of our most valuable and vulnerable native plants and
animals, causing potentially irreversible damage.
"A cross-border approach to co-ordinating the way we
deal with non-native species is crucial in order to ensure
the protection of our wildlife and habitats."
An audit by Scottish Natural Heritage in 2001 found at
least 988 alien species occurring in Scotland. These
consisted mainly of higher plants, as well as mosses,
mammals, birds, fish, insects and molluscs. They occur in
all habitats from mountains to the marine environment
The Scottish Executive consulted during 2004 on a number
of proposals arising from a GBreport (Review of Non-Native
Species policy. Defra 2003)
3. Efforts to tackle invasive non-native species require
cross-border co-ordination as they are best addressed on a
"biogeographic" basis. i.e. within natural geographic and
ecological boundaries.
CASE STUDIES
- Seemingly innocent plants such as the familiar
rhododendron (Rhododendron ponticum) are toxic to other
plants and cast dense shade making it difficult for
other plants to grow. By rapidly spreading and
preventing the regeneration of native woodlands it can
wipe out natural tree cover and associated species
dependent on native woodland for the right habitat and
conditions.
- Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica) grows much
larger in Scotland than it does in Japan and can burst
through tarmac and on occasions can penetrate houses,
as well as outcompeting almost all other vegetation.
The extensive root system is very difficult to
eradicate.
- The ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernuus) is a fish which
is native in England but does not occur naturally in
Scotland. It feeds on fish eggs and, outside its
natural range, is considered to be a threat to both
commercial and sport fishing. It was unintentionally
introduced into Loch Lomond in the early 1980s and is
now thought to be one of the most common species in the
loch. Ruffe have already changed the ecology of the
loch, for example by destabilising normal predator-prey
relationships and by impacting on rare species such as
the native powan.
- American mink (Mustela vision) are a predator of
fish, birds, small mammals and crabs. They are
implicated in the crash of water vole populations and
threaten some populations of ground nesting birds. An
EU Life project called The Hebridean Mink Project was
set up in Novemebr 2001 to reduce levels of Mink on
certain islands in the Western Isles.
- The New Zealand Flatworm (Arthurdendyus
triangulatus) is mainly found in the central belt and
feeds almost exclusively on earthworms. It may threaten
agriculture and the environment due to the adverse
effects of earthworm eradication on soil quality. It is
not controlled by many earthworm predators such as
moles, badgers and birds which find it
unpalatable.