For the first time, Catalonia has this type of list recommended by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IBPES). CREAF has led the development of these lists and warns of which species can be detected soon. The more than 300 species on which work is carried out are grouped according to the degree of priority.
“With the elaboration of these blacklists, Catalonia aligns itself with the recommendations of science”
Marc Vilahur, Climate Action Department
First, there is a blacklist Priority 1 with the exotic species with the most invasive potential that have been detected in Catalonia but are not yet invasive. Then, the priority 2 list includes the species with less invasive potential, also already detected in Catalonia. Then there are two red lists with potential invasive species that have not yet been detected in Catalonia. These are some of the blacklisted animals and plants. They are the most wanted by the Administration with the aim of stopping them in time and preventing them from gaining ground as they have already done coypu wave asian hornet.
Spiny plants of the genus Cylindropuntia are some of those that are already spreading in the Iberian Peninsula. Specifically, the Cylindropuntia spinosior stands out, with pink flowers, from North America, and very harmful to the native flora. They can pose a danger to the health of animals and humans due to their thorns.
This large frog causes serious imbalances in ecosystems: it displaces (or directly devours) to other native amphibians or reptiles, often modifies the structure of the vegetation and is a transmitter of diseases and parasites such as the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, responsible for the decline of many amphibians worldwide. According to the ‘conselleria’, it was eradicated in the Ebro delta thanks to rapid action, but it can be present again in any humid area, as is happening in other parts of Europe.
It is a genus of South American birds in the Psittacidae family. Many of these species are exotic pets that have escaped or been released and have adapted to the ecosystem. One risk is that the expansion experienced by the Argentine parrots and Kramer’s parrotstwo tropical species that are part of the biodiversity of cities like Barcelona and that represent an obstacle for some native birds and also have an impact on agriculture.
This American mammal has also been used as a pet in recent decades or as another specimen in zoos. in the community of Madrid they have come to capture hundreds of copies of this animal without direct natural predator and easy reproduction. In Catalonia, work is being done to control its population and prevent it from expanding as has happened with other mammals such as the american mink that is besieging the few populations of european mink.
Under the sea, Asian crabs such as Cherax destructor or Eriocheir sinensis have also been classified as an exotic species that should be considered. special attention. They are already present on the coasts of various parts of Europe, where they have arrived through transport ships. Some of these species are omnivorous with a high reproductive capacity.
This squirrel from America, common in the London city parkshas already displaced and reduced to a minimum the populations of the red squirrel, Europe’s own, still the majority in Spain. However, from Exocat, analyzing the problems that this small mammal has caused in local ecosystems, they have put this species on the list to stop its invasion in time in case it occurs.
This species, typical of tropical seas and introduced by humans into the Mediterranean, threatens to displace native algae species, which could truncate the entire marine ecosystem. In their areas of origin, on the other hand, they have smaller populations because they need very specific parameters to live. other aquatic plantsin rivers or lagoons, can alter water levels or salinity, or directly obstruct irrigation infrastructure.
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Other species such as the java mongoosehe ruinedhe raccoon dog or the reeves muntiac, mammals (the first two) that can be voracious carnivores. The main reason that worry is the ability of some species to tolerate different environmental conditions and their reproductive, dispersal and colonization capacity”, says Rosa Rotches, coordinator of the Exocat project. Not only this, but they have a significant impact on native species, whose populations are often displaced or reduced, in addition to possible risks to the Human health (virus transmission) and the economy.
“Catalonia is aligned with the science recommendations. Blacklists are an effective tool to prioritize where to put prevention efforts,” he says. Marc Vilahur, general director of Environmental Policies in the ‘conselleria’. Spain has several regulations on the most important invasive species that have been used to prepare these lists.