Meeting on the EPPO prioritization process for invasive alien plants

Paris, 2011-02-08/09

After several years of development and testing, the EPPO prioritization process for invasive alien plants was published in the EPPO Bulletin in 2010 (Brunel S, Branquart E, Fried G, van Valkenburg J, Brundu G, Starfinger U, Buholzer S, Uludag A, Joseffson M & Baker R (2010) The EPPO prioritization process for invasive alien plants. Bulletin OEPP/EPPO Bulletin 40, 407-422).

The species of the EPPO List of invasive alien plants that had not been run against this process during previous meetings were tested.: Acacia dealbata, Acroptilon repens, Amelanchier spicata, Amorpha fruticosa, Azolla filiculoides, Bidens frondosa, Cabomba caroliniana, Cenchrus incertus, Cyperus esculentus, Egeria densa, Elodea nuttallii, Helianthus tuberosus, Heracleum mantegazzianum, Lagarosiphon major, Lupinus polyphyllus, Lysichiton americanus, Myriophyllum aquaticum, Oxalis pes-caprae, Paspalum distichum, Prunus serotina, Rhododendron ponticum, Senecio inaequidens, Sicyos angulatus, Solidago canadensis, Solidago gigantea. 

Each expert had to run the process for his/her country for the following sets of species, and the results were discussed during the meeting.

In addition, Mr Branquart made a presentation on the EPPO prioritization scheme as a tool to identify the most invasive plant species in Europe. Mr Fried presented a comparison of the EPPO Prioritization Process and the « Weber & Gut » Risk Assessment for Alien Plants in France.

Considering the ease of use and the accurate results provided by the EPPO prioritization process, the experts were in favour of the EPPO prioritization process becoming an EPPO Standard. In addition, the current EPPO lists (EPPO List of Invasive Alien Plants, Alert List for invasive Alien Plants) will be reconsidered in the view of the results of the prioritization process.

Presentations

Harmonizing the invasiveness concept - The EPPO prioritization process as a tool to identify the most invasive plant species in Europe
Etienne Branquart (Belgian Biodiversity Platform, BE)

Comparison of the EPPO prioritization process and the 'Weber & Gut' Risk Assessment for alien plants in France
Guillaume Fried (ANSES, FR)