EPPO’s activities on Invasive Alien Plants

EPPO protects plants in agriculture, forestry and the uncultivated environment. For over 50 years, EPPO has sought to prevent the introduction and spread of organisms which are harmful to plants in the European and Mediterranean region. As an intergovernmental organization, it has developed agreed standards and recommendations for plant protection in its member countries. Traditionally, EPPO has given priority to pests of cultivated plants, i.e. insects, nematodes, fungi, bacteria, viruses, but has also been concerned with weeds, which harm crops by their competition.

With today's new emphasis on the protection of biodiversity, plant protection apply also to plants in the uncultivated environment. Wild plants are also threatened by the introduction and spread of pests, and notably by "invasive alien plants" which can seriously disturb and destroy natural plant communities. EPPO has the international structures to develop a cooperative European strategy for the protection of Europe against invasive alien species.

Protection against introduction and spread

Plants have to be protected against harmful organisms which are already present in their environment. Farmers and growers apply the necessary measures, without any need for international action. EPPO is concerned with the special international threat from pests which occur in other continents and may be introduced into the EPPO region by international trade. Many years of experience with such "alien" pests has shown that they can be very damaging and difficult to control when introduced into a new environment. We call these "A1" pests. Some of these pests have already been introduced into parts of the EPPO region, and it is important to prevent their further spread. We call these "A2 pests".

EPPO Panel on Invasive Alien Species In 2002, a special international Panel of experts on Invasive Alien Species has been established. It meets twice a year and has the following aims: To provide information on invasive alien species for the EPPO region, particularly plants To pilote studies on risk analysis of specific invasive alien species, To recommend measures to prevent their introduction and spread To recommend measures to eradicate, suppress and contain invasive species already introduced.

Photo by Peggy Greb USDA/APHIS photo gallery

The members of this Panel come from 14 European and Mediterranean countries: Austria, Belarus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and UK.

Current achievements of the Panel

EPPO List of Invasive Alien Plants
The Panel established the EPPO List of Invasive Alien Plants. EPPO recommends countries endangered by these species to consider measures to prevent their introduction and spread or to manage unwanted populations. Among the 34 species of this list, 5 are now recommended for regulation and are included in the EPPO A2 List.

Standard on the management of invasive and potentially invasive alien plants
The EPPO Standard on 'Guidelines for the management of invasive alien plants or potentially invasive alien plants which are intended for import or have been intentionally imported' was approved in 2006.  This Standard provides guidance on internal management measures such as publicity, surveillance, restrictions and/or codes of conducts on import, sale, holding, transport, etc.

Contacts and partnerships
Mutual exchange of information and the building of a synergy in the respective activities of EPPO and of structures working on the topic of invasive alien plants is being developed with the following partners:

• the expert group on Invasive Alien Species of the Bern Convention of the Council of Europe (www.coe.int)
• the Planta Europa network (www.plantaeuropa.org)
• the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH, www.aiph.org)
• the Invasive Species Specialist Group (www.issg.org)
• the European Environment Agency and its expert group on invasive alien species (www.eea.europa.eu/)
• the DAISIE (www.daisie.se) and ALARM (www.alarmproject.net/alarm/) projects
• NOBANIS (www.nobanis.org/).

Prioritization process
The number of plants that can be considered as potential pest species is huge and there is a need to determine priorities. The Panel agreed that EPPO’s recommendations should be focused on species which are not widely distributed or absent from the region and for which efficient actions of prevention, eradication or containment can be undertaken.
Consequently, the Panel is elaborating a prioritization process for all known or potential invasive alien plants in the EPPO region.

Pest Risk Analysis
PRA has been recognized by National Plant Protection Organizations as a key activity for EPPO. Expert Working Groups have been established to perform PRA. For invasive alien plants, the Panel on IAS has been given the task of performing PRA.

Council declaration (September 2007)
Because several species included in the EPPO List of Invasive Alien Plants are sometimes planted as bioenergy crops, the EPPO Council made a special declaration 'Plants for renewable energy and Invasive Alien Plants' to warn its member countries about this potential risk.

Reporting Service on Invasive Alien Plants
Since 2006, the EPPO Reporting Service includes a specific section on invasive plants.

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