Nonnative species GB Progress 200107

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Non-native species GB Progress 2001-07
Niall Moore Head of the GB Non-native Species
Secretariat
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Are invasive species amongst the big issues?

• Second biggest threat to biodiversity worldwide
• - Biggest threat on islands
• The most important direct drivers of
  biodiversity loss and ecosystem service changes
  are habitat change , climate change, invasive
  alien species, overexploitation, and pollution.
• Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report

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Non-native species in GB

• In England - 2,721 non-native species
• In Scotland 988 non-native species
• C. 70 vascular plants
• Negative impacts
• 71 moderately/highly negative in Scotland
• 19 strongly negative in England

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International commitments

• Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
• Bern Convention
• Ramsar Convention
• European Birds Directive
• European Habitats Directive (natural habitats and
  wild fauna and flora)
• EC 2006 Communication on Halting Loss of
  Biodiversity by 2010

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Progress 2001 - 2003

• 2001 - Policy Review launched
• 2003 - Policy Review Group report
• 2003 - Govt response consultation

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Policy Review report 8 Recommendations

• A single lead co-ordinating organisation
• Comprehensive risk assessment
• Develop codes of conduct
• Targeted education and awareness
• Revise and update existing legislation
• Establish adequate monitoring and surveillance
• Develop policies for control of established and
  new invasives
• Forum for stakeholder engagement

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Progress since 2003

• 2004 Stakeholder Forum established
• 2004/5 Development of Risk Assessment methodology
• 2005/6 NERC Act (s.50 sales ban, and s.51 codes
  of practice)
• Co-ordination
• 2005 GB Programme Board established
• 2006 - GB Programme Board Secretariat
• GB Strategy Working Group

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Key GB Mechanism Components
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GB Programme Board

• Leadership and oversight on non-native species
  policy
• Co-ordination in delivering key strategic
  objectives
• 10 members all government

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GB NNS Programme Board
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GB Programme Board Secretariat

• Niall Moore and Diane Owen
• Provides the essential administrative support for
  the Programme Board, Stakeholder Forum, Working
  Groups, Risk Analysis Panel etc.
• Drives implementation of actions decided by the
  Board
• The key link between the Board and stakeholders
• Industry, NGOs, NDPBs, Govt Agencies etc.
• Expected to become a very important GB contact
  point

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GB Strategy - development to date

• Working group started in March 06
• Content considered at Stakeholder Forum
• Draft strategy approved by Board in December
• Ministerial approval in February
• Public consultation on Strategy
• March May 2007
• Full implementation for 2010

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Strategy Working Group members

• Defra Policy leads
• JNCC
• SEERAD
• Plant Health Division
• Dept for Transport
• HM Revenue Customs
• Natural England
• Environment Agency
• Network Rail

• Welsh Assembly Government
• Countryside Council for Wales
• Central Science Laboratory
• Wildlife Countryside Link
• Scottish Environment Link
• Ornamental Aquatic Trade Assn.
• Horticultural Trade Assn
• Prof Jeff Waage
• Maritime and Coastguard Agency

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Strategy covers
49 Key actions cover

• Prevention
• Early detection, surveillance, monitoring and
  rapid response
• Mitigation, control and eradication
• Building awareness and understanding
• Legislation
• Research
• Information exchange and integration

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Important strategy policy linkages

• Plant Health Strategy
• Animal Health Welfare Strategy
• Wildlife Health Strategy
• International Convention for the Control and
  Management of Ships Ballast Water and Sediments
• Biodiversity Action Planning

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Risk Analysis

• Risk analysis panel established Dec 2006
• Horizon Scanning
• RA will underpin
• Decision making
• Prioritisation
• Risk management options

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Monitoring and surveillance

• Scoping study 2007
• BRC/BTO/MBA
• Aim - to make recommendations on comprehensive
  NNS monitoring scheme for GB
• Established NNS
• Interceptions

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Rapid Intervention

• Rapid response is key
• Saves resources
• Water Primrose - 10K
• (J. Knotweed 1.5 Billion)
• Minimises impact
• Bullfrogs and chytrid fundus

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Large-scale Control Ruddy Duck eradication

• Programme started in Autumn 2005
• Population 4,411
• 18 months later
• 900 remain
• Team of 10 staff
• 5 years duration
• Cull programmes
• France, Spain, (Portugal, Morocco, Denmark,
  Iceland)

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Ruddy ducks the pan-European campaign
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Engagement with stakeholders

• Govt. does not have all the answers
• Despite out-numbering others 10 1
• Talk to industry don't just talk about
  industry!
• Engage from the start
• Defra-led review did not for many months
• Informal consultations are extremely useful for
  both sides
• Include stakeholders in all processes
• Avoids feelings of exclusion
• Treat all sectors equally at meetings

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Stakeholder engagement 2

• "Everyone contributed to causing the problem and
  everyone needs to be part of the solution"
• This includes Government
• Is government implementing what it expects others
  to do?
• Horticulture code of Practice

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Stakeholder engagement (GB, to date)

• Stakeholder Forum
• NGO and Industry input
• Talks
• Workshops
• Sounding Board
• For semi-formal consultations
• In advance of PB meetings
• Regular meetings with stakeholders
• Secretariat website www.nonnativespecies.org
• Public Awareness Working Group

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Stakeholder engagement achievements

• GB Strategy high degree of agreement
• Industry, Conservation NGOs and Govt.
• Pre-consultations prior to legislating
• Codes of Practice
• Good industry engagement
• Horticulture 2005
• Companion animal in progress
• Practical results
• OATA Plastic bags
• Ornamental fish and plants bought for aquariums
  and ponds must never be released into the wild
• Over 1,000,000 bags to public annually

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Policy Review report - Key Recommendations

• A single lead co-ordinating organisation ?
• Comprehensive risk assessment ?
• Develop codes of conduct In Progress
• Targeted education and awareness
• Revise and update existing legislation In
  Progress
• Establish adequate monitoring and surveillance
  In Progress
• Develop policies for control of established and
  new invasives
• Forum for stakeholder engagement ?

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Pause for thought

• GB administrations will establish the big
  machinery
• Risk Analysis
• Comprehensive monitoring
• Better prevention measures
• Strategic research
• Increased public awareness
• Legislation
• Responsibility for addressing the impacts of
  invasive non-native species is shared not all
  down to government to fix
• Successful strategy implementation needs strong
  stakeholder commitment and partnerships

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Convention on Biological Diversity-

• Article 8 In Situ Conservation
• (h) Prevent the introduction of, control or
  eradicate those alien species which threaten
  ecosystems, habitats or species
• Decision VI/23 called, inter alia, for
• National strategies and plans
• Adopted the Guiding Principles, the second of
  which sets out the 3 stage hierarchical approach
  (i) prevention (ii) early detection and rapid
  reaction and (iii) eradication, containment and
  long term control

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Bern Convention-

• Under article 11(2), each Contracting Party
  undertakes
• to strictly control the introduction of
  non-native species.
• European Strategy on Invasive Alien Species, by
  Genovesi and Shine published in 2003.

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Ramsar Convention-

• Resolution VIII.18 on Invasive Species and
  Wetlands, amongst other actions, calls for
• Risk assessments and,
• Development and implementation of national
  strategies.
• Operational objective 5 of the 2003 2008 Ramsar
  Strategic Plan is wholly concerned with invasive
  alien species

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EU Birds and Habitats Directives-

• Article 11 Birds Directive Member states shall
  see that any introduction of species of bird
  which do not occur naturally in the wild state in
  the European territory of the member states does
  not prejudice the local flora and fauna.
• Article 22(b) Habitats Directive ensure that the
  deliberate introduction into the wild of any
  species which is not native to their territory is
  regulated so as not to prejudice natural habitats
  within their natural range or the wild native
  fauna and flora and, if they consider it
  necessary, prohibit such introduction.