Standard methodology to assess the risks from non-native species considered possible problems to the environment
Introduction
In response to a key recommendation from the Defra Review of Non-Native Species Policy, Defra funded a one-year project starting in January 2004 to develop a scheme for assessing the risks posed by any non-native organism to species, habitats or ecosystems in all or part of the UK.
The project benefited from the unique breadth of expertise available from consortium members enabling the direct utilisation of state of the art national and international research and practical experience in the assessment and management of invasive non-native species.
The European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation pest risk assessment scheme was considerably extended in scope and functionality to generate the UK non-native risk assessment scheme.
This scheme provides the first structured framework for evaluating the potential for any non-native organism, whether intentionally or unintentionally introduced, to enter, establish, spread and cause significant impacts in all or part of the UK. In addition, specialist modules permit the relative importance of introduction pathways, the vulnerability of receptors and the consequences of policies to be assessed and appropriate risk management options selected. These modules can also be used in stand-alone mode.
Spreadsheets for summarising the level of risk and uncertainty, invasive attributes and economic impact have been created. New methods for quantifying economic impact and summarising risk and uncertainty have been pioneered.
Examples of best practice are given and recommendations for improving the functionality and user-friendliness of the scheme are proposed in a specification for an electronic toolkit.
- Executive summary
(16 KB)
- User manual - includes Modules 5
and 6
(406 KB)
Module 1: Invasive Attributes Spreadsheets (based on Pheloung et al. (1999))
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Plants
(63 KB) -
Marine fish
(723 KB) -
Amphibia
(726 KB) -
Marine invertebrates
(724 KB)
Module 2: Pathway Risk Assessment Module
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Pathway Risk Assessment Module
(154 KB) -
Pathway types
(55 KB) -
Example 1: Ship assisted transfer of non-native avian species between other countries and the UK
(26 KB) -
Example 2: Human assisted introduction of non-native fish species into the UK and between water bodies
(73 KB)
Module 3: Receptor Risk Assessment Module
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Receptor Risk Assessment Module
(82 KB) -
Example 1: oak trees and oak woodland
(202 KB) -
Example 2: slow flowing water courses
(163 KB)
Module 4: Economic Impact Assessment Module
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Example: economic risk assessment of topmouth gudgeon
(34 KB)
Module 5: Summarising risks and uncertainties
- Risk assessment template
(1.22 MB) - note large file size
Sample risk assessments:
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Topmouth gudgeon
(949 KB) -
Japanese knotweed
(968 KB) -
Indian house crow
(933 KB) - Metarhizium anisopliae,
an insect fungal pathogen
(191 KB)
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Page last modified:
16 May 2005
Page published: 12 May 2005