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23/12/08 - 5th Invasive Species Ireland Mailing
Posted on: 23/12/08

Welcome to the fifth Invasive Species Ireland mailing

In this mailing we have news on:

1. Pre-registration form for Invasive Species Ireland Forum 09
2. Invasive Species Ireland - The Way Forward
3. Invasive Species Ireland - Stakeholder Recommendations
4. Review of Invasive Alien Species Legislation and Governance
5. Commission presents policy options for EU strategy on invasive species
6. Galway County Council produce information leaflets on two of Ireland's Most Unwanted Invasive Species
7. National Biodiversity Data Centre - National Invasive Species Database
8. New species ID sheets available from the GB Non-native Species Secretariat website
9. Scottish Natural Heritage publishes a report on alien species and the Water Framework Directive
10. Species alerts
11. Events
12. Case studies

1. Pre-registration for Invasive Species Ireland Forum 09 launched
The 2009 Forum is being held on 6th and 7th April at Queens University Belfast and will take a different format to previous events. Contributions are welcomed and abstracts for poster and oral presentations or requests for exhibition space can be made through the pre-registration form. Please feel free to circulate this to anyone that may be interested. For more information please see the pre-registration page or contact the project team directly.

http://www.invasivespeciesireland.com/news/forum_09_pre-registration.asp

2. Invasive Species Ireland - The Way Forward
The Invasive Species Ireland project is a three year project and in the first two years it has established itself as a focus for invasive species work in Ireland and facilitated networking and information sharing at a level that had not happened on the island of Ireland to date. This has put in place the foundations needed for any future work. A key part of the project was to undertake a review of progress after two years and to organise a conference to include key stakeholders to share information on the findings of the contract and explore options for a way forward.

The Invasive Species Ireland project team has carried out a review of progress to date with the aims of:

  • Benchmarking activity to identify gaps and needs at national and regional/local level
  • Assessing the Invasive Species Ireland project against the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) principles and emerging EU strategy
  • Comparing ISI against other countries to identify actions that are relevant for Ireland
  • Developing recommendations and proposals for future options for invasive species management on the island of Ireland

The final summary of the review and stakeholder gathered during the conference held in Athlone can be downloaded by clicking on this link:
http://www.invasivespeciesireland.com/downloads/general_information.asp

3. Invasive Species Ireland - Stakeholder Recommendations
The steering group requested that the recommendations made during the review and conference were summarised and presented as a separate paper. The recommendations have been categorised into topics with a focus on those which are relevant to the development of the next phases of ISI.

A summary of the stakeholder recommendations can be downloaded by clicking on this link:
http://www.invasivespeciesireland.com/downloads/general_information.asp

4. Review of Invasive Alien Species Legislation and Governance
As part of Invasive Species Ireland the project team were tasked to undertake a review of legislative provisions in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The purpose of the review was to

  • Provide an audit of existing legislation operating in Ireland and Northern Ireland of relevance to the control of IAS.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of this legislative in terms of its potential value in protecting the environment from the harmful effects of invasive non-native species;
  • Propose legislative amendments or new provisions where necessary; and
  • Clarify the governance arrangements for policy making on and regulation of IAS.

This review is now available on the Invasive Species Ireland website and can be downloaded by clicking on the following link:
http://www.invasivespeciesireland.com/downloads/general_information.asp

5. Commission presents policy options for EU strategy on invasive species
The European Commission has presented a series of policy options for developing a strategy to deal with invasive species which are threatening European biodiversity. Invasive species are a major threat to native plants and animals in Europe. One such example is the Harlequin ladybird, originally from Asia, which poses a deadly threat to native ladybirds in the UK, as well as to butterflies and other insects. Invasive species can disrupt local flora and fauna and cause considerable damage to nature and human health. They can also have significant economic impacts: controlling invasive species and repairing the damage they do is estimated to cost European economies at least €12 billion each year. Although some EU countries have legislation to protect their national biodiversity, there is no harmonised approach across the EU. The Communication puts forward a number of policy options for a coordinated approach and measures that can be put in place immediately, including a Europe-wide early warning system to report new and emerging species.

Click on the following link to read more on this press release:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1890&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

6. Galway County Council produce information leaflets on two of Ireland's Most Unwanted Invasive Species
Galway County Council through its 'People and Nature' project has produced new leaflets have with information on the control of Japanese knotweed and Gunnera. These can be accessed through the Invasive Species Ireland website by clicking on the following link:
http://www.invasivespeciesireland.com/downloads/education_and_awareness.asp

7. National Biodiversity Data Centre - National Invasive Species Database
The National Invasive Species Database has been loaded onto the Data Centre's mapping system and is now publicly available. You can view this database via the Data Centre's 'Biodiversity Maps' web page: http://maps.biodiversityireland.ie/ or alternatively, you may visit the National Invasive Species Database web site: http://invasivespecies.biodiversityireland.ie/ and go to the Species Search tab. Once you have selected your species search you can click on the static map and this will lead into the Biodiversity Maps site and show the distribution of that species.
The National Invasive Species Database is in the early stages of development and with further submission of specie records its value as a tool in early warning and management of invasive species will hopefully go from strength to strength.

8. New species ID sheets available from the GB Non-native Species Secretariat website
Identification sheets have been produced for a number of non-native species. These are available free from the homepage of the GB NNSS website and can be accessed by following this link http://www.nonnativespecies.org/.

9. Scottish Natural Heritage publishes a report on alien species and the Water Framework Directive
Using alien species forums to address problems in Scottish catchments
The project aimed to address how the WFD 'programmes of measures' may be used to help tackle the problems of water bodies failing (or likely to fail) to meet their environmental objectives by exploring practical, collaborative ways of addressing alien species issues in Scotland and by developing strategies to manage them.

This report is now available on the SNH website at:
http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/commissioned_reports/Report%20No299.pdf

10. Species alerts
If you are out and about over the Christmas period, remember to keep an eye out for some of our most unwanted species. Remember to report all sightings to the Alien Watch page and that we are interested in sightings from not only the natural environment but also sites such as ponds, canals and gardens. Always try to record a 6 figure grid reference (http://www.invasivespeciesireland.com/sighting/gridref_guidelines.asp) and submit any photos to the website. See the Most Unwanted section of the website for more details on each of these species:

Japanese knotweed: Please keep an eye out for the distinctive brown stems of Japanese knotweed that will be visible at this time of year. Have a look on the Most Unwanted section and also download the Japanese knotweed flier produced by the project and Galway County Council for images and more information.

Muntjac deer: Please look out for this species if you are driving in County Wicklow and also have a look for tracks and signs if you are walking along forest paths. This is one of our most unwanted species. It is currently unclear if this is a number of escaped individuals or if the species is at an early stage of becoming established in Ireland. Muntjac deer have the potential to significantly change our native forest floral and faunal communities and causing a reduction or loss of many of our species including the much loved native bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta.

Brown hare: The brown hare is a non native species to Ireland. It is known in the wild in County Tyrone. Elsewhere in Europe, it has out competed mountain hares. The Irish hare is a sub species of the mountain hare. Please keep an eye out for this species and report all sightings. Also, if you know of anyone introducing this species, make them aware of the potential threat to our native and endemic hare.

Ruddy ducks: Birdwatchers are asked to report all their sightings of ruddy ducks to the Alien Watch page. This species threatens the endangered white-head duck in Europe and is ranked as one of our most unwanted species.

11. Events
If you are holding an event relating to invasive alien species and would like to advertise this through our mailing list and website please email john@invasivespeciesireland.com. Also, consider contacting us directly about materials we can provide to help make your event a success.

12. Case studies
If you have worked on or are working on invasive alien species issues and would like to write a case study for inclusion on the website please email john@invasivespeciesireland.com with details.
Wishing everyone a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year,

John and Cathy
John Kelly
Invasive Species Ireland
EnviroCentre
10 Upper Crescent
Belfast BT7 1NT

Tel: +44 (0) 28 9027 8330
Direct: +44 (0) 28 9031 6987
Fax: +44 (0) 28 9027 8334
Website: www.invasivespeciesireland.com

The Invasive Species in Ireland project is undertaken in partnership by EnviroCentre and Quercus and is funded by the Environment and Heritage Service and National Parks and Wildlife Service.