EU Prioritization Process for invasive alien plants

 

 

A brief history

The EU prioritization process for invasive alien plants was developed under the LIFE project IAP-RISK ‘Mitigating the threat of invasive alien plants in the EU through pest risk analysis to support the EU Regulation 1143/2014’ (project number LIFE15 PRE FR 001). The EU prioritization process was developed by adapting the original EPPO prioritization process for invasive alien plants  to the requirements of the EU Regulation 1143/2014.

 

The EU prioritization process is the first tool to assess species for priority for risk assessment (RA) in the European Union (EU) specifically designed to incorporate the requirements of EU Regulation no. 1143/2014. The prioritization process can be used for any plant species alien to the EU, whether currently present within the territory or absent.

 

The purpose of the prioritization tool is to act as a preliminarily evaluation to determine which species have the highest priority for RA at the EU level and may eventually be proposed for inclusion in the list of invasive alien species of EU concern.

 

A detailed evaluation of the EU prioritization process for invasive alien plants has been published in the EPPO Bulletin.

 

 

Ambrosia confertiflora

Gymnocoronis spilanthoides

Cortaderia jubata

Cardiospermum grandiflorum

 

Aims and structure of the EU prioritization process

The EU prioritization process is designed to:

  • Produce a list of invasive alien plants that are established or could potentially establish in the EU,
  • To determine which of these have the highest priority for risk assessment within the EU Regulation 1143/2014.

 

The preliminary risk assessment stage (Stage 1), prioritizes species into one of five lists (EU List of Invasive Alien Plants, EU Observation List of Invasive Alien Plants, EU List of Minor Concern and the Residual List) based on their potential for spread coupled with impacts. The impacts on native species and ecosystem functions and related ecosystem services are emphasized in line with Article 4.3(c) of the Regulation.

 

Only those species included in the EU List of Invasive Alien Plants (i.e. have a medium to high spread potential coupled with a high impact on native species and ecosystem services) proceed to Stage 2 where potential for further spread and establishment coupled with evaluating preventative and management actions is evaluated. The output of Stage 2 is to prioritize those species which have the highest priority for a RA at the EU level or should be considered under national measures which may involve a trade ban, cessation of cultivation, monitoring, control, containment or eradication.

 

When considering alien plant species for the whole of the EPPO region, or for species under the Plant Health Regulation, the original EPPO prioritization process for invasive alien plants remains the optimum tool.

 

The EU prioritization process for invasive alien plants was used for the first time within the LIFE project IAP-RISK to prioritize 16 species from a list of 37 for risk assessment. A paper detailing the process was published in the Journal NeoBiota.

 

 

Useful links