Natural Enterprise is highlighting the various invasion threats to the Isle of Wight, including Asian Hornets and Himalayan Balsam, as part of Invasive Species Week (16th-22nd May 2022).
Invasive non-native species are one of the main causes of global biodiversity loss. In Britain they have contributed to dramatic declines of some native species and threaten many key sites, often causing irreversible damage. They also have significant economic costs, estimated to be in excess of £1.7billion per annum to the GB economy.
In some instances, the Isle of Wight is very lucky. We do not have mink that has contributed to the collapse of the water vole population across England and Giant Hogweed rarely pops up. However, Japanese knotweed is commonplace and each year a gang of volunteers wage a valiant campaign to pull Himalayan balsam from a number of the Island’s watercourses.
Asian hornets started to reach England from France in 2016 and nests were found in the Portsmouth area in 2021. The Isle of Wight Beekeepers keep watch for these unwelcome invaders who are highly effective predators of insects, including honey bees and other beneficial species, and can cause significant losses to bee colonies. Since they arrived in France in 2004 they have devastated fruit crops.
This week is Invasive Species Week, an annual national event to raise awareness of the impacts of invasive non-native species, the simple things that everyone can do to prevent their spread and some of the fantastic work taking place across the country to protect the environment and reduce their impacts.
Natural Enterprise is always looking for balsam volunteers and is more than happy to provide further information on all things nature related. You can contact Carol Flux, the co-ordinator of the Island’s response to invasive species, on [email protected].
Gotta keeps them there orrible mainlanners offa my island as well.
Try observing our prisons
A lot of them arrive in boats along the south coast, then spread inland very quickly.
It is amusing that people can see the differences and issues with imported animals, bugs and plants yet can now never admit to any differences in other races of humans, that is unless that difference is a positive one.
We all have to pretend none which are negative don’t exist.
Emperors new clothes and all that
I would class the stupid stupid stupid recent idea from the tree huggers of introducing beavers as an invasive species.