Sunday 18 June 2017

Britain is among worst in the world for alien invaders, survey finds





12 June 2017 • 7:11pm 

The UK is among the worst countries in the world for invasions of alien animals and plants, a new global study has found.

Grey squirrels, Indian rose-ringed parakeets, and an abundance Himalayan balsam weeds puts Britain in the top 10 per cent of alien-harbouring areas.

Experts have called for tougher import controls amid fears that new invaders could ruin domestic ecosystems.

We need to be much better at trying to prevent the introduction of species that can be harmful in the first placeDr Wayne Dawson, Durham University

The survey by Durham University identified islands and mainland coastal countries to be the most likely areas to be colonised by foreign species.

The top three locations with the highest numbers of established alien species were the Hawaiian Islands, New Zealand's North Island, and the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia.

However, Britain also appears near the top of the list, due in part to the country’s historically high volume of trade.

"We need to be much better at trying to prevent the introduction of species that can be harmful in the first place," said Dr Wayne Dawson of Durham University, UK. "Prevention is better than cure with invasive species."

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