A BIOSPHERE
The introduction of plant, animal and aquatic life that doesn’t belong here is threatening many of our native species. Here’s what to look out for and how to help
MANY of Ireland’s native species are under threat due to the introduction of plants, animals and aquatic life that doesn’t belong to our biosphere but is taking over. This is why Minister Malcolm Noonan has proposed setting up a new Conservation Corps to train and pay people to remove invasive plant species. The Green Party TD also wants to encourage more people to become involved in protecting our national environment.
But what is an invasive species? What should we be looking out for? And how can we members of the public help protect the environment around us?
Professor Frances Lucy, head of the Environmental Science Department at IT Sligo is heavily involved in research on the prevention, management and control of invasive species to Ireland.
‘An invasive species is one that comes into the country and causes impacts to our biodiversity, society and the economy,’ he says. ‘Not every introduced species becomes invasive, we have many exotic plants in our gardens, but only a certain amount of them will become invasive.’
From grey squirrels endangering our indigenous red squirrels to clams that cause issues for our native salmon and trout, and plants that destroy our native woodland, there are many invaders currently in the country causing a serious threat. Others, like the coypu, have recently arrived but any sightings are dealt with immediately to try and stop the spread of the species.
There are also ‘horizon’ threats like the American hornet, now established in parts of England so could arrive here in the near future.
Colette Flynn, invasive species officer at Biodiversity Ireland, says in many cases, aquatic invasive species are the most difficult to deal with as they can often be unnoticable.
‘What is always of most concern is any kind of non-native species that can survive and thrive and reproduce in aquatic environments because it is not always immediately obvious that something new has arrived and by the time you see it, it might be because they are impacting or becoming noticeable.
‘It can be very difficult to eradicate these so it is very important to detect them as soon as possible. We are keeping a particular watch in rivers and lakes for the arrival of the signal crayfish, which is number one on our horizon scan of expected invasive species arrivals,’ says Prof Lucy.
Irresponsible gardening, abandoned and escaping pets, bringing animals in for hunting and food — all of these have had an impact on our environment and introduced invasive species to our lands.
‘There is an issue with rhododendron ponticum which does have the most beautiful purple flowers but is very invasive,’ Colette explains.
‘I have seen people taking clippings of it from Killarney National Park and I have seen people on an island with seedlings in a pot trying to get it going. I had to ask them not to because this could easily spread and destroy the island’s biosphere.’ But we can all do our bit to help. Professor Lucy says: ‘People want to protect their own environments as they know we are on a tipping point due to climate change and to other threats, including invasive species, which are considered one of the biggest threats to biodiversity. And people really do want to make a difference to protect our heritage.
‘Science is changing and we all have to work together to try to manage invasive species and prevent them from getting here and spreading as if they become established, you really are managing and controlling them. It’s very difficult to eradicate them if you don’t get them at an early stage.’
Colette
Flynn says it is important not to contribute to the problem,
‘Sometimes people bring back clippings or plants or seeds from holidays — don’t do that as you are bringing something back from another environment that might be invasive and could spread naturally despite your best efforts.’
And your pets should also be looked after properly and responsibly rehomed.
‘If you’re buying a pet and keeping them make sure their surroundings are secure and they can’t escape into the wild. If you can no longer keep your pet, rehome it responsibly — do not release into the wild.
‘Terrapins for example can live for 35 years and can grow to more than a foot in size and there have been a good number of places where these have been found in park ponds, in rivers, in the canals in Dublin,’ says Colette.
She advises people to seek out their local tidy towns or similar groups to find out what’s happening in your local area.
‘If you see something that looks unusual in the Irish landscape please take a photo and report it using the biodiversity data capture app or via biodiversityireland.ie.
‘We are also launching an action on invasives portal where anyone — be they gardener, fisherman or goverment agency — can log what they are doing to combat the threat of invasive species in Ireland.’
Here are just some of the species that are invading our land:
JAPANESE KNOTWEED
THIS highly invasive plant is a danger to homes and buildings and professionals must be brought in to eradicate it if you spot it in your garden or near your home, as it is so easily spread.
‘This is one of the biggest problems,’ says Professor Lucy. ‘A lot of the reason why people are so exercised about it is because of the economic damage it does.
‘It can actually warp tar on roads, it causes huge damage foundations of houses, to the extent that it’s part of the valuation of houses and property now.’
The plant was introduced to Ireland in Victorian times.
‘A lot of these plants are very attractive, like the Gunnera (Chilean rhubarb) around Achill Island. People brought these plants in because having them in your garden was almost like a status symbol.’
Japanese knotweed can spread