The purpose of the week is to raise awareness of invasive non-native species (commonly known as invasive alien species in Ireland and other countries) which are one of the major causes of biodiversity loss and can also cause significant damage to human health and the economy. The cost to the European economy is estimated to be at least €12 billion per year.

In Ireland, this year's week will see events taking place to specifically raise awareness around the 'Check, Clean, Dry' initiative for those taking part in water-based activities, and 'Be Plant Wise', for those with an interest in gardening and plants.

Speaking ahead of the 'Check, Clean, Dry' event during the week, Minister Madigan highlighted its importance: “As we head into the Easter break, people all over the country will be taking the opportunity to travel and make use of the many of our wonderful water based amenities. One of the purposes of Invasive Species Week, and 'Check, Clean, Dry' in particular, is to make sure that we can leave these amenities for future generations to also enjoy. By stopping the spread of invasive species, we can ensure that, for example, riverbanks are not damaged, and native crayfish do not suffer from an imported plague.”

Invasive Species Week background
Invasive Species Week was started in 2015 by Northern Ireland's Non Native Species Secretariat (NNSS) in association with the United Kingdom's Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to encourage members of the public to get involved and active, and to help stop the spread of such species. Ireland's support for Invasive Species Week is part of our engagement, as a member administration of the British Irish Council, on initiatives and issues of shared concern across these islands.

Invasive alien species
Alien species are plants, animals, fungi and micro-organisms that have been transported across ecological barriers such as mountain ranges, or oceans as a result of human intervention, and have become established in an area outside their natural range.

In their new environment, species may lack predators or be spared the limiting factors like food scarcity or competition with other species that normally keep them in check. Some of them spread rapidly and become invasive alien species (IAS), causing significant damage to biodiversity, human health or the economy.

Roughly 10-15 % of alien species arriving in Europe eventually become invasive. Species migrating into the EU in response to climate change are not considered alien species, as they are not crossing ecological barriers and they do not enter completely different environments. This is a natural process of adaptation.

Once introduced, control, management and eradication where possible of invasive species can be very difficult and costly; therefore early detection and reactive measures are desirable. To aid this, Ireland works in conjunction with fellow BIC members, and at EU level, to aid in co-ordinating a connected and comprehensive approach to IAS.

For further information on biodiversity, please email biodiversitypolicy@chg.gov.ie.

The NPWS website is npws.ie, while the National Biodiversity Data Centre website provides a good resource for both citizen scientists and those with a budding interest in the field.