Outcomes of the IUCN conference ‘Invasive alien species: the urban dimension’, Geneva (CH), 2013-09-05
Following the recent publication of a compilation of case studies on;Invasive Alien Species (IAS);in urban areas, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) held a conference where some of these case studies were presented and discussed. As metropolitan areas are particularly vulnerable to IAS and serve as entry pathways, the key objective of the event was to analyse the issue of IAS from an urban perspective to understand the challenges which cities face and present solutions.
The following case studies targeted invasive alien plants in urban areas:
- The management of Solidago gigantea (Asteraceae, EPPO List of Invasive Alien Plants) in the greater Vienna area, which consisted in monitoring of the species in protected riparian areas and management experiments;
- The implementation of a Code of conduct on horticulture and invasive alien plants in Belgium conducted through communication actions (e.g. articles in press, TV or radio broadcasts, etc.);
- The monitoring of invasive alien plants in the Maksimir Park in Croatia, situated near Zagreb, through data collection and analysis of 23 species with their spatial pattern and frequency;
- A study on urban private gardens and spread of invasive plant species in the Czech Republic;
- Monitoring of Heracleum mantegazzianum (Apiaceae, EPPO List of IAP) in the Keila municipality in Estonia;
- The management of invasive alien plants in aquatic and riparian habitats in the urban Dublin area, in particular of Heracleum mantegazzianum and Impatiens glandulifera (Balsaminaceae, EPPO List of IAP);
- The control of Carpobrotus edulis (Aizoaceae, EPPO List of IAP) in Dublin;
- The removal of invasive alien plants in Vila Nova de Gaia in Portugal: Carpobrotus edulis, Cortaderia selloana (Poaceae, EPPO List of IAP), Crocosmia x croscosmiiflora (Iridaceae) and C. aurea x C. pottsii and Tradescantia fluminensis (Commelinaceae);
- The management of Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Asteraceae, EPPO List of IAP) in Geneva, Switzerland;
- The control of Fallopia japonica (Polygonaceae, EPPO List of IAP) in the city and county of Swansea in the United Kingdom, and in Geneva in Switzerland.
The discussions held during the conference allowed the drafting of recommendations which address voluntary and legislative instruments to combat IAS, communication strategies for IAS as well as financing actions on IAS.