Assessment of current and future invasive plants in protected dune habitats of the Atlantic coastal region
Year: 2022
Type: report
Abstract: Atlantic coastal dune systems in Europe are vulnerable to invasions by invasive plants, a continuous process driven by trends in urban plantings, escapes from gardens and range expansion of already established alien species.Early warning for invasive alien species and the sharing of practical experience with their management was identified as one of the key topics to address in Atlantic coastal dunes.This requires a good understanding of the potential ecological risk associated with alien species introductions and quick and robust prioritisation.Here, we report on a systematic risk screening performed within the framework of LIFE DUNIAS in Belgium.Contrary to other horizon scans, we followed a more data-driven approach focused on protected habitats of the NATURA2000 regime.Using a variety of data sources, we drafted a longlist of over 1,300 alien taxa present in the Atlantic coastal region.This list was downsized through a quick relevance check performed by experts.The resulting list of about 250 species was assigned to ecoseries of NATURA2000 Annex I habitats (salty, sandy and woordy dune) according to the susceptibility of those habitats.We then performed moderated expert assessments in a consensual workshop format to assess the risk of introduction, establishment, spread and the potential (or realized) ecological impact.The resulting risk scores were combined with distribution data to identify emerging "horizon scan" species as well as high impact established species.We refined these lists for specific Annex I dune habitats, and present true horizon scan lists for the different countries of potential invaders that are not established yet.For a small selection of the species qualitative risk management assessment was performed at the workshop, evaluating the feasibility or eradication from protected habitats in the Atlantic coastal region.
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
Funders: European Commission, LIFE programme
OpenAlex ID: W4320081889