News item | 12-01-2026 | 12:21
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN) wants to prevent harmful plants and animals from entering, establishing or spreading further in the Netherlands. That is why the ministry is focusing on the prevention and early elimination of invasive exotic species with the so-called national attack plan on invasive exotic species. These are species and plants that do not belong here and disrupt nature and biodiversity. Because it concerns diverse species and routes, LVVN opts for a tailor-made approach with targeted measures such as: trade bans, better monitoring, innovative detection, agreements with site managers and providing information together with fellow authorities and sector parties.
Biodiversity under pressure
Biodiversity in the Netherlands is under pressure. Invasive exotic species are one of the causes of this. Worldwide, 60% of the extinction of plant and animal species can be partly attributed to invasive exotic species and 16% of the extinction can even be attributed entirely to invasive exotic species. It is therefore very important to limit the negative trend of invasive exotic species on our ecosystems as much as possible.
The LVVN national attack plan on invasive exotic species contains proposals for the further development of the Dutch exotic species approach. It describes how the nature policy approach is currently organized (within the Netherlands and in a European context), what actions can be taken to strengthen the approach and what financial consequences are associated with this. The plan thus contributes to nature restoration.
Prevention
The emphasis of the attack plan is on strengthening prevention and early elimination: taking precautions so that invasive exotic species do not enter the Netherlands, cannot establish themselves and do not spread further. Not only because prevention is the most cost-effective way to prevent damage from invasive exotic species; it is sometimes even the only option because there are (yet) no effective or efficient control measures for some species or environments. Because invasive exotic species enter the Netherlands in various ways, prevention requires tailor-made solutions. This means, for example: exploring a possible national trade ban on typically ‘Dutch’ invasive exotic species, such as yellow rush lily, termites and nuisance ants such as the Mediterranean spiny ant and the pest ant. It will be examined whether a trade ban can be imposed for specific risk species or entire species groups.
National agreements
The attack plan also includes the national agreements that the Ministry of LVVN and the provinces have made about prioritizing and tackling invasive exotic species, including the ambitions per species and a financing target for the next four years. Provinces have submitted an ambition document on invasive alien species to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature at the end of 2024.
Distribution and causes
We see that exotics can end up in our country in different ways. For example, through the global trade in (exotic) plants and animals or hitchhiking in packaging wood, containers, boats or trucks that transport goods. Holidaymakers also take exotic plants, fruits or animals home with them. In the past, alien species have often been deliberately brought here. Consider, for example, pets and ornamental plants.
During the spring decision-making 2025, LVVN freed up resources to make a first start on the attack plan. With the released budget, LVVN has set priorities within the provincial task, so that the measures in the attack plan can be started immediately. Decision-making on a follow-up, i.e. tackling widespread species, is up to a new cabinet.