Europe: iron-handed control of alien species

Alien plant and animal species are expected to cost the EU up to € 12 billion ($16 billion) a year in economic and ecological losses. These alien species compete with native European native species for food or nourishment and also destroy the latter's habitat.

In response to the serious problem of invasive alien species, last year, the European Parliament also passed a new bill to control the entry of invasive alien animals, plants or insect species.

According to the new bill, the EU has launched an "action plan" to deal with invasive alien species that have entered the EU, limiting their spread, stricter official inspections of alien species at the borders of EU countries, and introducing early warning mechanisms to ensure that invasive species can be made. Make rapid response and control. The EU-wide list of harmful species will be drafted before January 1, 2016, when EU citizens will be prohibited from owning, transporting, trading, and planting the invasive alien species included in the list.

The European Environment Agency says more than 10000 alien species have taken root in the European region, including at least 1500 considered harmful plants and animals. The menacing alien species will not only cause serious economic losses, but also directly affect the diversity and ecological security of European native organisms.

In the UK alone, there are currently about 2000 alien species, resulting in economic and ecological losses of up to 1.7 billion pounds a year. Especially Japanese knotweed, a weed from Japan. British gardening enthusiasts introduced a Japanese knotweed into the UK in the mid-19th century. Unexpectedly, its vitality was extremely strong. It grew to 1 meter high in a month, and eventually grew to 3 meters. Coupled with its luxuriant branches and leaves, it looked like an impenetrable green "barbed wire". What's more serious is that Japanese knotweed has a strong penetrating ability, which can drill out from the cement board or brick cracks, and rely on its strong root system to expand the cracks, and eventually cause damage to the building. Japanese knotweed is not afraid of water. Broken leaves can drift down rivers or streams to continue to grow. Only by uprooting it and burning it can it be prevented from spreading. However, its developed root system can go deep into the ground for 5 meters or expand horizontally for more than 7 meters. The part that is extremely difficult to completely remove can lurk in the soil for more than 10 years and will be drilled again when conditions are suitable.

The research results of European scientists show that alien species have even led to the extinction of some biological species in Europe. Scientists also pointed out that some invasive alien species also indirectly spread diseases, causing harm to human health, such as asthma, dermatitis, allergies and so on. Aedes albopictus, a mosquito native to Asia, can infect dengue fever. The Chikungunya virus outbreak in Italy in 2007 is closely related to this mosquito.

Apart from the intentional introduction of some alien species, the invasion of some other species is purely accidental. Zebra mussels, for example, came to Europe from the Black Sea in the 19th century by adsorption on ships, and this abundance of mussels can clog the intake pipes of power plants.

Environmentalists welcomed the European Parliament's resolution, saying it was the first new bill to address the impact of biodiversity in the region since the EU legislated to protect animal habitats and growth areas in 1992. Ariel Brenner, head of EU policy at Bird International's European branch, said the European Parliament's resolution was "very correct", but there were still some loopholes.

The bill requires the 28 EU member states to jointly identify harmful alien species on the high-risk list and take concerted action to limit their destructive power. European Parliament Member of Parliament Pavel Perk, who was the main promoter of the new bill to combat invasive alien species that was passed in the European Parliament, said: "The harm caused by alien species to Europe is so serious that they can easily breed and grow across the continent. In such a situation, cooperation between EU member states is essential."

the European Commission originally proposed to limit the number of harmful alien species included in the blacklist to 50, but member states called for a more flexible approach, so if any threatening new species are discovered, they will be included immediately. Blacklist.

(Source: China Green Times, March 13, 2015 Author: Zhang Jianhua)

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