Invasive non-native species

Invasive non-native species (INNS), sometimes referred to as 'invasive alien species', are those non-native species that can spread rapidly and become dominant in an area or ecosystem, causing adverse ecological, environmental and economic impacts. Some invasive non-native species can also affect human health.

It is important to remember that, while there are over 900 non-native species in Scotland, only a minority become invasive, but these few can have serious negative impacts.

In Scotland, it is illegal to release, plant or allow to spread any non-native species into the wild.

We need information on where invasive non-native species occur, especially new arrivals in Scotland, to support management including biosecurity and, in some cases, eradication. Through this site, we would like to encourage the submission of records on the most concerning and damaging invasive non-native species.

Invasive non-native plant species - removal or burying invasive species

If an invasive species is being dug up and transported away, then SEPA should be informed. 0300 099 6699  https://beta.sepa.scot/about-sepa/contact-us/ 

Burying the roots of Japanese Rose - Onsite burial at a depth of 0.6-1m would be unlikely to prevent regrowth from roots of Japanese rose .

Soil containing Himalayan balsam and giant hogweed seeds should be buried at least 1 metre below ground level.
https://www.netregs.org.uk/environmental-topics/land/japanese-knotweed-giant-hogweed-and-other-invasive-weeds/burying-invasive-plant-material-on-site/ 

The experimental removal of Japanese rose at Sefton Coast SSSI used deep burial at a depth of over 2 m.
https://dynamicdunescapes.co.uk/2022/12/rosa-rugosa-removal-removal-crymlyn-student/ 

For comparison, soil and plant material containing Japanese knotweed may need to be buried 5 metres below ground level.

Non-native species of concern

Given the numerous environmental, health and economic impacts that invasive non-native species can cause, there is a pressing need to understand which invasive non-native species species are currently found where in Scotland, if they are spreading and establishing and, particularly importantly, to be aware as early as possible when new invasive non-native species arrive for the first time.

There are many reasons why we wish to record invasive non-native species in Scotland. Each invasive non-native species fits into one of the following categories, each of which would require different responses from the relevant authorities and other responsible or affected parties:

• The species is not currently in the wild in Scotland and new records are essential, particularly where a rapid response to tackle the problem is possible
• The species recently arrived in Scotland and new records are essential
• The species is already in Scotland in localised populations and we need to understand distribution better to support management
• The species is already widespread in some areas of Scotland and we need to know about new populations in new areas

The first ten invasive non-native species of concern to feature on this site are presented here, by the type of habitat where the species is most likely to be found. The Scottish statutory organisations dealing with invasive non-native species are, with the help of a range of partners, developing a longer list of invasive non-native species of the greatest concern which will, in due course, be included here.

What will happen to my report?

When you send a report in through this portal on Scotland's environment web, we send it straight to the iRecord website. iRecord is a website for sharing wildlife observations, including associated photos. Your data will be kept secure and will be regularly backed up. Automatic checks will be applied to your observations to help spot potential errors, and experts can review your sightings.

iRecord data are stored in a secure database, are archived daily and accessible to anyone via the website. Records entered will also be available to relevant individuals and organisations, e.g. recording schemes and societies, local environmental records centres and the Archive for Marine Species and Habitats Data (DASSH), at full capture resolution to enable verification and sharing via the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Atlas.

Wherever possible, verified data will be made freely publicly available, data will be automatically supplied from iRecord to the NBN Atlas on behalf of National Recording Schemes. For other schemes, data from iRecord will be collated alongside other datasets before being made available to the NBN Atlas.

Report a non-native species

If you would like to record any non-native species you can record it directly on iRecord.