Many people are unaware that alongside climate change and habitat loss, another major threat to species biodiversity is the increase in the number of non-native, invasive species appearing around the world.
Non-native species often appear through accidental transport or by the release of pets, but they rarely survive or come into contact with con-specifics to establish a colony. If they do come into contact with others of the same species and reproduce, the outcome tends to be a small localised colony, held in place by geographical, environmental, predatory or climate barriers.
In some cases a non-native species may not have those checks or controls in place and takes the opportunity to exploit a new niche or out-compete an existing species resulting in an invasive species becoming established and often taken for granted as a national species such as the grey squirrel, Canada goose, marsh frog or the three-cornered leek.
There are currently believed to be over 3000 non-native species living in the UK; and this graph from the JNCC shows the recent rapid increase in invasive non-native species.
A species is considered ‘invasive’ if it has the ability to spread and damage the environment, the economy, our health or the way we live. Invasives can have a significant impact as predators, competitors (for food or breeding sites) or can carry disease that impacts our native species. In 2023 the Government published a new UK invasive species strategy. Part of the strategy includes ‘horizon scanning’- the ability to look at potential ‘invasives’ that could be a problem were they to reach the UK, or that are already present and could become a problem as a result of climate change or other environmental changes.
Some species are significant risks and are considered to be GB ‘alert’ species with a request to record and notify whenever sighted; the Asian hornet, a predator of native bee colonies is one such species along with the American bullfrog.
The Non-Native Species Information Portal (NNSIP) provides access to distribution data as well as additional information such as place or origin, date of introduction and methods of introduction. It also provides much more detailed information on 300 species, including information on identification, impacts and control methods.
During Invasive Species Week we want to raise awareness of invasive species of reptiles and amphibians and see if we can increase our information by gathering records of non-native as well as native species using our Dragon Finder App. You can download the app for free here.
All data from the Dragon Finder App is shared with the National Biodiversity Network Atlas.
