2454 final report.pdf - Agra CEAS Consulting

Evaluation of the Community Plant Health Regime: Final Report
DG SANCO Evaluation Framework Contract Lot 3 (Food Chain)
In the UK, using a database constructed on 325 non native invertebrate plant pests that have
established, or are suspected to have established, in Great Britain between 1787 and 2004 71 , it is
evident that 47% of all establishments occurred after 1970, with all but one of the significant
post-1970 establishments on ornamental plants. Of the post-1970 pests on cultivated hosts, 44%
were accidentally introduced, compared to 6% colonising naturally (the mode of entry could not
be designated for the remaining species). Most non-native plant pests originated in continental
Europe, with substantial minorities contributed by North America and East Asia. The number
and composition of species that have established in Great Britain since 1970 is broadly similar to
that observed in France, Italy and Spain.
Globalisation increases opportunities for species to move beyond their natural borders through
trade, transport, travel and tourism, thus leading to a marked increase of both intentional and
unintentional introductions in recent years. For example, a review by the DAISIE project of
records of established alien terrestrial invertebrates in Europe since 1492 demonstrates that, on
average, the establishment of invertebrates has increased from 13 species recorded per year in
the 1975-99 period to nearly 22 during the last decade.
Figure 3-5: Trend of established alien invertebrates in Europe (DAISIE)
Note: Calculations on 995 species for which the first record is precisely known. The numbers above the bars
correspond to the number of new species recorded per period. A lack of European expertise in some taxonomic
groups did not allow coverage of all the terrestrial invertebrates with the same level of precision: data on insects
were more reliable than those of other taxa, and consequently the analysis mostly refers to this group.
Source: Roques et al. 2009.
71
Non-native invertebrate plant pests established in Great Britain: an assessment of patterns and trends. R M Smith,,
R H A Baker, C P Malumphy, S Hockland, R P Hammon, J C Ostojá-Starzewski, D W Collins.
Food Chain Evaluation Consortium 57