ISSN: 1173-59.88 C T E T S ~ --- ~.T? ~ ~ ~ Tff;: !J~ Belarus

Jnvasive of the IUCN Species Survival Commission §d ~

NUMBER 5 / 1997

Invasives experts and IUCN Invasives SpeciesSpecialist Group members worldwide .ares~eing some of their work and id~as being com- municated on a global scale,in the form of the 21-page draft document "Guidelines for the Prevention of Biodiversity Loss due to Biological Invasion".

This document was compiled after extensive consultation with members, and also with those who attended the Norway /United Nations Trondheim Conference on Alien Speciesin July 1996.The guidelines~ are designed to help governments meet their obligations under article 8(h) of the Conv~ntion on BiologicalDiversity to redl}ce the risks of biodiversity loss caused by alien species.

In October 1996,since Issue 4 of Aliens, many of the people involved met at the IUCN World Congress in Montreal, Canada, where the draft guidelines were presented and discussed.

Further peer review is required on the document, before it issubmit- ted to IUCN for final ratification. The document is available for reading on the rutN website at: http:/ /www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/index.htm {under "of interest to members':) and comment is invited. Pleasesend Sponsored by: any comments by fax, e-mail or letter to:

Sarah Lowe, lssG Co-ordinator (or Mick Clout, IssG Chair) School of Environmental and Marine Sciences University of Auckland (Tamaki Campus) Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand Manaaki Whenua. Tel: +64-9-3737-599 x 6814 Landcare Research Fax: +64-9-3737-042 [email protected] ISSN: 1173-59.88 c T E T s ~ --- ~.t? ~ ~ ~ tff;: !J~ Belarus

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From the 1930sto the1970s,thepolicies of some state sharethe fate of the European mink; vole populations departments of the former Soviet Union saw the ac- are threatened by American mink, which in turn climatization of species such as the American mink threaten the nesting places of water birds. Mustela vison {Schreb.) and raccoon dog Nyctereutes Raccoon dogs were brought to Belarus for the first procyonoides(Gray. ) in Belarus. The goal of thesepoli- time in 1936. The first animals were marked on the cies was to establish a thriving hunting stock from territory of the Berezinsky Reserve at the end of the which valuable fur could be harvested. 1950s.Today this speciesis one that is hunted in our republic..It isknowri to destroy the clutches and nest- American mink were introduced to Belarus in 1953 lings of landbirds. The raccoon dog is the cause of for the first time. More than on~ hundred animals the decrease in numbers of wood grouse, black were released by Lake Palic which is currently part grouse ~d hazel grouse in several regions of Belarus of the 78,000hectare Berezinsky Reserve.The reserVe and in specific parts of our reserve too. J would be includes boreal mixed, coniferous and spruce forests, interested to hear opinions on the management of as well ~s the bogs and bottomlands of the River such species for min;imisation of their influence on Berezina. The release of this species had negative our nahiral reserve ecosystems. Please contact me consequencesfor local fauna in the Berezinsky Re- for more detail. serve. American mink have almost forced from the territory of our reserve the less aggressive European Alexander P. Kashtalian mink, which are now seldom see,nin Belarus. And Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve recent evidence indicates that the water vole may leadkash@ber -bio.belpak. vitebsk;by

2 Three speciesof bivalves: Corbiculafluminea c. fluminea has an average density of 170 in- (Muller, 1774), C. largilliertie (Philippi, 1844) dividuals/m2 on the Rio de la Plata littoral. and Limnoperna furtunei (Dunker, 1857); L.fortunei was found for the first time in from the southeast of Asia, have reached the Bagliardi in September 1991, in isolated neotropical La Plata basin via the Rio de la groups of 5 or 6 individuals. By May 1992 its Plata river. average density was 31,222 individuals/m2. C. fluminea and L. fortunei are named as in- Then, a year later, it had increased to 82,151 vaders due to the fact that they are exotic, and individuals/m2, representing more than twice characterised by early sexual maturation, a the density of the previous year. high reproductive capacity and adaptability Along the Rio de la Plata littoral, L. fortunei to the different environments they colonize. presents an average density of 14,284 individulas/m2. These characteristics have permitted the rapid expansion of C. fluminea, not only into the Ituarte (1981) reported for the first time the Rio I;lela Plata zone, but also into the Parana presence of two bivalve species from the and Uruguay rivers. Darrigran and Pastorino southeast of Asia in the Rio de.la Plata river: (1995) ha'/e reported the presence of the ge- C. flumineaand C. largilliertie; The. link be- nus Corbicula in the central part of Argen- tween the countries is the shipping trade. tina. Ituarte also reported that Corbicula was in- Limnoperna fortunei is a freshwater species troduced to Argentina between 1965 and 1975, found in rivers and streams of China and the perhaps for consumption by crews since it is southeast of Asia. It was found for the first edible. time in America in 1991, in a locality known Continuous samplin~ in the above described as Bagliardio de la PI~ta river, Argentina. area showed that L. fortunei arrived at the Rio At the end of 1993, L. fortunei could only be de la Plata river in 1991. The Argentine im- found in the areafrom Punta Piedra:s(35" 26' S ports from places where this species is prima- -57" 08'W) up to Punta Lara (34" 48'S -57" rily found -Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand 59'W) on the Rio de la Plata river, but not in and Korea -have boosted the increase in num- any other country or river in America. But by bers, Since this is not a food species, it possi- the end of 1994 irnd beginning of 19~5, it had bly arrived in ~anks containing fresh water spreadfurther along the Rio de la Plata. It was with no biological treatment. Thus overseas even possible to find it at water inlets in Bemal ~ade should be subjected to a strict biologi- and Retiro; both part of Buenos Aires port. cal control. Likewise, this species was reported along the coastal area of Republica Oriental del Uru- Allover the world the control of plague mol- guay; all these localities line the Rio de la lusc~ is effected by means of electric dis- Plata. charge, chlorination, poisons (very toxic), During the last months of 1995, the first col- electromagnetism, high temperature, ultra- lections of L. fortunei were made from the sound, etc. There is often a high economic cost Parana river which is one of the four impor- and residual toxicity. tant sub-basins of La Plata. This illustrates Among all the problems caused by invading the bivalve's quick and continuous expansion, bivalve species in the northern hemisphere, as well as its adaptation to the different basin we may cite: environments. I) Blockage of important water pipes, either in houses and/or industry, which means: c. fluminea rather prefers sandy or muddy a) light reduction in the tubing; substrateswhere it can bury itself. p) decrease of flux velocity in the pipes due L. fortunei populations are found all over hard to friction (turbulent instead of laminar flux); substrates such as trunks, roots and stones, c) accumulation of empty shells in water including artificial coastal walls. tanks;

3 d) water contamination as a consequence of that affect the running water systems for ei- deficient control programs in relation to the ther human consumption or ind~strial use, invading species (mass mortality, treatments such as tho~e described by Morton (1973) in with poisons, etc.); Hong Kong; or the ones produced at the wa- e) blockage of water filters .during larval or ter-supply plant of La Plata city in 1994. juvenile stages of these molluscs. 2) Accelerated filling of irrigation canals: The mollusc fauna of the Rio de:la Plata river a) acceleration of sedimentation processes; has been threatened with extinction due toal- b) accumulation of empty shells, terations particularly in the water beds and, 3) Contamination of construction materials in general, in the natural habitats. This situa- (sand, gravel). tion has worsened due to the invasion of ex- 4) Changes in the composition of the native otic bivalve species: a shifting of and density mollusc fauna. decreasein the existing malacofauna are evi- dent. Corbiculafluminea has caused serious problems in the United States since its arrival in For further information -concerning also the 1938. No damage has been detected in the molluscs: (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia) neotropical region, but it must be pointed out Heleobia piscium (d'Orbigny, 1835); that its ingression occurred 30 years after that (Pulmonata) Gundlachia concentrica in the northern region. (d'Orbigny, 1835) and Chilinafluminea Limnopema fortunei has become extremely (Maton, 1809) -please contact the author. dangerous due to the following factors: I. Its byssate epifaunal habit has no comReri; Gustavo Darrigran tive interaction with any other organ~smliv- Museo La Plata, Argentina ing in La Plata basin littoral. 2. This species evidences a high biotic poten- Fax: +54-21 :.257527 rial. ltsinvilsion involves biofouling processes darrigra@ isis.unlp.edu.ar

The potentially successful programme to eradicate grey squirrels from the;Piedmont area o(Italy has been called to a halt by animal welfare groups. Dr Genovesi Piero reports that the project had been working very well: in a first trial, more than 50% of the estimated population (190 out of 360) were trapped in live traps and euthanised with the anaesthetiser alothane. .

ingAnimal the method welfare groupsto that oftook Nazi the gas case chambers.to court, citing irihumane methods and compar-, This will put a stop to the programme, and Dr Genovesiis concerned that there is even debate among NGOs: "The eradication of the grey squirrel from Italy is urgent, and we decidedtq use anaesthetisersas the technique was requested by NGOs".

Contact: Dr. Genovesi Piero i n fspap k@iper bo le. bo 10gna .i t

Istituto Nazionale per la Fauna Selvatica Via Ca'Fornacetta 9 40064 Ozzano Emilia (BO), Italy ana University of Hawaii, Department of Botany

The Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk (HEAR) project was Natural Resources,Division of Forestry & Wildlife), Uni- established in 1995 to provide information and infrastruc- versity of Hawaii (Department of Botany), The Nature ture to the natural resource management community (fed- Conservancy of Hawaii, and Maui Pineapple Company (a eral, state, and private) in Hawaii, regarding harmful al- local priva~ organization protecting watershed). Final Ver- ien species there. . sions of information contained in the HNIS database are Prime considerations in the design of databasesproduced posted on the web as HNIS reports. by the HEAR project have been good relational structure, data integrity checks, and compatibility of data structures In conjunction with these databases, HEAR provides a with local and international standards (including IUCN web-based clearinghouse for information about selected standards). . alien species of concern to land managers in Hawaii, in- cludingdistribution mapsfor selected alien speciesin Ha- Databases designed by HEAR which deal directly with wan. alien species include a Harmful Non-Indigenous Species (HNIS) database (including information about invasive/ The internet provides all unparalleled mechanism for col- disruptive alien species), an island matrix database(con-' lecting and disseminating up-to-datedata; HEAR is tak- taining island-by-island distribution information for se- . ing full advantage of this technology. HEAR project in- lected alien species), as well as a database of more de- formation and data are available online; the HEAR website tailed information about selected species (to be used to is updated frequently. Further information is available at: develop an experimental "screening" protocol). Other databases--dealing with speciesand systems impacted by http ,:1Iwww2.hawaii.edul -halesci/HEAR/ alien species-include a monitoring database(for collec- tion of alien and native species data; with flexible design Philip A. Thomas; Research Associate for any plot-based data), a species of concern tracking Hawaiian Ecosystel!ls at Risk, database (i.nformation about endangered/threatened/can- University ofHawaii, Botany Dept. didate species), and others. CPSU/RCUH These databasesall use standard "taxon codes," which in P.O. Box 1272, Puunene, Maui, Hawaii 96784 USA turn are based on standard nomenclature Qf Hawaiian or- Tel: + 1-808-572-9306 ext. 3233 ganisms as maintained by the Hawaii Biological Sltrvey Fax: +1-808-572-1304 (Bernice P. Bishop Museum). thomas1J@ maui. com http: / Iwww. maui. coml- thomasp/PhilipAnthonyThomas HEAR databasesare currently in use by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Natural Area Re- (Opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily represent the serve System (State of Hawaii, Department of Land and views of USGS/BRD, RCUH, Ct'SU, UH, or anyone besides just me!) University of.Florence, September 24-27 1997

The Department of Animal Biology and Genetics at the University of Florence (Italy) is organi:z:ingan International Workshop entitled "The introduction of alien species of cray- fish in Europe: how to make the best of a bad situation?" to be held at the Zoological Museum "La Specola". The workshop will develop inninvitedlectutesi and ~pacewill left to other participants for poster displays and a roundtable discussion,which will deal with: the role of legisla- tion and education to prevent both disappearance of native species and the introduction of alien ones; and programmes of Wand water restoration for reintrod\olction of native specieg. For a detailed programme and further information, please, contact:

Dr Francesca Gherardi Dipartimen!o di Biologia Aniinale e Genetica "Leo Pardi" Universitil di Firen~e Tel: + 39-55-22881/2288216 Via Romana 17 Fax: + 39-55-222565 50125 Firen~e, Italy GHERARDI@:DBAG.UNIFI.IT

Technische Universitat ~erlin, 1-4 October 1997

This conference will be the ne~t in a series of meetings that started in 1992 in Loughbor- ough; UK, and was continued in Kostelec, Czech Republic, in 1993 and in Tempe, Ari- zona, USA,in 1995.It will offer the chanceto concentrate on issues identified as important during preceding meetings. Topics will include: What makes a plant invasive? - How can the ~ects (e.g. economic) of plant invasions be assessed? Control: blind actionism or cost efficient nature m~ageinent? Cost/ effect analyses of control measures. Early warning, risk analyses. Policies. There will also be room for reports on individual casestudies.

Intending participants, please contac~me for more details.

Dr. Uwe Star/inger, Institut fiir Okologie der Technische Universitiit Berlin, Schmidt-Ott-Str.1, D-12165 Berlin Tel: +49-30-314-71194 Fax: +49-30-314-71324 star/in ger@gp ;tu -berl in. de

6 Report from an OECD workshop held at Ammamas ResearchStation, Sweden, 22-26 April 1996, entitled "Ecqlbgy of Introduced, Exotic Wildlife: Funda~ental and Economic Aspects"

This meeting aimed at producing a policy statement relating to invasive mammals and birds. It was organised for the OECD by the Department of Animal Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences,Umea, in conjunction with the Depart- ment of Applied Zoology, University of Helsinki. Professor Heikki Hokkanen (Uni- versity of Helsinki) acted as scientific co-ordinator.

Most papers discussed PQsitive and negative effects of vertebrate introductions, two dealt with the atttibutesof invasive speciesand two concerned policy.

During the years in which Ihave ~orked on the effects of invasive mammals, I have come to regard these effects as primarily an island problem, leavmg aside th~ Aus- tr:alian continent. This meeting showed me this is far from the truth. Of 17 mammal and bird speciesintroduced to the Nordic countries, for example, 14 have established a population in at least one country. ~ and beaver introduced fro~North America have displaced their Eur(jpean counterparts in most countries where these related species pairs have come into contact. As pointed out by Nummi, the biota of the Nordic countries is relatively youthful, owing to the short time elapsed since the last great ice sheet wiped out most life in the area.

Someeffects of invasive invertebrates are much more widespread tban I had realised, hybridisatioh being one such effect. Dan Simberloff gave the meeting numerous ex- amples of hybridisationbetween introduced and native speciesfrom many different parts of the world, including all continents,

Perhaps my strongest feeling with respect to understanding the effects of invasive specie'sis that almost all our knowledge is based on studies of the most obvious direct effects of invasiyes. Reality is more complex. Chris Dickman, in discussing the impact of introduced dingoes, red foxes and cats on the Australian native fauna, pointed out that these predators also affect each other's numbers, even though the mecha- nisms are not always clear. If we really understood the arrays of flow~on effects asso- ciatedwith eachintroduction, let alone several introduced speciesinteracting together, we would begin to realise just how all-pervading a problem we have when we wish to protect indigenous biotas from invasives.

Major recommendations arising from the workshop were:

-All introductions of "'(iJ non-indigenous vertebrates, fot: whatever purpose, should be regulated, and this ac- cording to principles outlined for Au$tralia 'i~ by Bomford ina 1991 "1i,,~~t~~?i4~.~~..,

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red fox OECD Eradications Workshop . .. (continued) In Maurltlus

Bureau of Rural ResourcesB1ille- The management plan for Round placed at 10 metre intervals. Very tin. Island, prepared followi!lg little cutting was required as most -Any specieswhose introduction eradications there, recommended of the ground cover was grass,but is allowed should: that other islands in the group be this was cleared away from the {1) carry a substantial economic or surveyed and that a management actual bait station. The final island social benefit, regime be established for them. In treated was Gabriel (42 ha.). Here (2) not be harmful to huI):lans, 1993 the Overseas Development the rat was Rattusrattus. Again, lit- (3) not be likely to establish in the Administration (UK) financed tle cutting was involved because wild, Wildlife Management Interna- the 25 metre grid could be laid out (4) not have an adverse ecological tional Lih1ited (NZ), the National by working between thickets. impact, Parks and Conservation Services Some bait was broadcast into (5) be possible to eradicate. (NP&CS) of Mauritius, as well as thickets. -A black list would include spe- the Jersey Wildlife Preservation cies not allowed into the country Trust, to undertake the survey of Monitoring has been carried out under ~y conditions. the outer islands of Mauritius and at least twice by NP&CS and there Rodrigues and to prepare a man- has been no sign of any mammals. As with our new Biosecurity Act agement strategy; This plan rec- Already there are signs of the Veg- in New Zealand, theserecommen- Qmmended a number of alienani- etation recovering on both Gun- dationsfocus on intentional intro- mal eradicati9ns. ners Quoin and Gabriel Island, ductions. Little is said aboutacci- with Latania palms and Pandanus dental introductions, which are As finance from the ODA was lim- regenerating. On Gunners Quoin, the hardest to prevent and include ited, some priorities were made, the lizard fauna has become a lot some of the most damaging to and in 1995WMIL, NP&CS (Mau- more visible. Even the night native species.This is why, in my ritius) and the Mauritius Wildlife gecko, Nactus coindemirensis,has paper at the workshop, I sug- Appeal Fund tackled the prob- been seenon at least two occasions gested that all countries should lems on Gunners Quoin, Cocos whereas it had only previously spend more time in systematically and Sables and Gabriel Islands. been seenby the expedition which analysing invasion risks with a On Gunners Quoin (67 hectares) described it. view to identifying those problem the target animal was Rattus species most likely to be intro- norvegicus.The bait, a grain-based The eradications and recovery fol- d1{ced accidentally. If this were pellet containing 0.02% low the pattern established on done it would enable each coun- Brodifacoum, was laid by hand at Round Island. However all have try to develop contingency plans 25 metre intervals. It was neces- quite major weed problems wNch for rapid response to invasions of sary to cut tracks th~ough the need to be addressed and this is those speciesshould they happen thorn scrub, and the Special Mo- likely to become a significant part in the future. bile Force (Mauritius) assisted of future management. The Suc- with this. Results wereaImost im- cessof the eradicatibnsdoes how- Full proceedings of this meeting mediate and dead rats could be ever indicate that the larger is- have been published in the found throughout the island. It lands -Flat (Mauritius) and Crab Scandinavian journal Wildlife Bi- was noted that the other alien (Rodrigues) -could have their ology 2(3): 129-228,1996. mammal, the black-conared hare problem animals removed Lepus nigricollis was also taking through committed programmes. Ian Atkinson some of the bait, so this species Ecological Research Associates of was targettedby laying bait where Brian D Bell, New Zealand hare sign was prominent. Wildlife Management International p OBox 48-147, Limited, New Zealand Silverstream 6430 At CoCO&(15 ha.) and Sables.{8 New Zealand ha.), mice Mus musculuswere the Ashok Khadun, target. Because of the smaller National Parks and Conservation home range of mice, the bait was Service, Mauritius

8 An environmental project that combines social and environmental benefits The "Fynbos Working for Water Cape Province, whereas Austral- most half of the 1.14 miUion ha. Program" is a sub-program of the ian Acacia species such as A. Of the total invaded area, more South African Department of Wa- mearnsiiand A.saligna, and Euca- than 60,000 ha. are covered with ter Affairs and Forestry's "Work- lyptus spp. are threatening the alien plant stands having canopy ing for Water" Program. This lowlands and riparian areas. Be- cover of 25 -100%. name refers to the jobs being cre- cause of extensive ,budget .cuts ated to clear water catchment ar- during the political transition of Between the s~art of the Working eas and river courses of invasive South Africa, the invasive alien for Wate! Program in October alien plants. The program is of plant clearing program came to a 1995 and the end of August 1996, enormous benefit to the environ- virtual halt. 39,000 ha. had been treated, in- ment but also has clear socio-eco;. cluding nearly 7,000 ha. of dense nomic benefits. The short-term An informal discussion grou p , the stands (having > 25% canopy social benefits contribute towards Fynbos Forum, comprising scien- cover). The Fynbos Working for the realization of long-term envi- tis~s and environmental manag- Water Program employed more ronmental goals. ers, held a workshop in Novem- t1}an3000 people.., at its (first) peak ber 1993to discuss the effect of in- in March 1996. More people are A major problem m the young de- vasive al~enplants on runoff from now being employed following mocracy of South Africa is unem- fynbos catchments. They adopted the injection of a further ~O mil- plo~ent and related social prob- a resolution to develop a "road lion into the project by the Cape lems such as crime. The social show" presentation, to demon- Town City Council, R22mi1lion by aims of the program a~ethe em- strate to policy makers the effect the National Department of Wa- powerment and upliftment of ru- of invasive alien plants on both ter Affairs and RO.5million by the ral communities. As an example water runoff and biodiversity, and small coastal town of Hermanus of how successful this has been in the potential socio-economic con- on the south coast of the Western the short term, the level of unem- sequences of this. Tpe "road Cape Province for 1995/6. ployment in the small town of show" was presented to Kader Villiersdorp in the Western Cape AsmaL Minister of Water Affairs Alien plant control is not a once-: Province dropped to 5% from and Forestry, in July 1995. T.he off job. For the Fynbos Working much higher levels before the im- dynamic Minister immediately for Water Program to be success- plementation of the program in saw the potential of the project as ful it will have to follow up the the town. an ideal tool in the Reconstruction initial clearing operations at regu- and Development Program of lar intervals for 8-10 years to en- South Africa, and especially the South Africa. sure that the seed Qanks are de- Western Cape Province with its pleted. The program is also being ullique fynbos vegetation (which In September 1995, R25 million complemented by a program of forms part of the Cape Floral (US$5.5 million at R4.50 : US$l) biological control to reduce the Kingdom), has an enormous prob- was allocated to the national pro- source of seed pollution, and to lem with invasive alien trees and gram, with R13.5 million of this reduce the vigour of existing shrubs. Fynbos is a fire-prone veg- going to the ~bos catchments of stands. If the bio-control program etationtype that is highly suscep- the Western Cape Province. There succeeds in reducing the rate of tible to invasion by alien plants. are about 1.14 million hectares of spread of the dominant alien spe- Several speciesfrom the Mediter- protected ~bos water catchment cies, the labour-intensive me- ranean Basin, North America, and area in this province; these com- chanicaland chemical control pro- especially Australia, are major prise privately-owned land (programs will succe~d in reducing problems. Species such as Pinus claimed as catchment areasunder the current stands. A major prob- pinaster (Mediterranean Basin), the Mountain Catchment Areas lem is the lack of funds for alien Pinus radiata (California) and Act), state-owned land declared as plant control in the lowlands. Haketisericea (Australia) are a ma- State Forest Land, and Provincial Ecologists are currently working jor threat to the fynbos in the Nature reserves. on fo~ulating a motivation for mountainous areasof the Western Invasive alien plants occur in al- the clearing of these areas,based on the economic value of Few vegetation managers, cattle Wetland nightshade Solanum biodiversity. There is great poten.. ranchers, or cultivators of grass tampicel1se(Dunal), also called tial for very interesting researchon sod in the southeastern United aquatic soda apple; appears to be the management of natural re- States can be unaware of the rapid confined to riverine and forested sources, The program managers onslaught of the Brazilian weed, swamp habitats which are regu- are already in contact with several tropical soda apple Solanum larly flooded. However, within international agencies about viarum (Dunal). . these areas,its sprawling, pric~e- launching such international re- covered stems can snag and tan- ..,~ ~~ , " ,~ , .I , " .", , , . search programs. Smce Its mltialldentifIcahon ill gle together to create robust thick- Glades County, Florida in 1988, ets which may clamber up to 5 Although development and train- this herbaceous perennial with metres ~igh on small trees. Veins ing are not the primary aims of the thorn-like prickles has spread to on both surfaces of the elongate F~bos VVorking for VVater Pro- over 500,000hectares in the state. leaves of this bramble-like plant gram, traiIting is currently being Since 1994, it has also been de" are also covered with pric~s, so given to employees in fields such tected on a number of sites in only the hardy or well-armed as per«0nal financial manage- Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, tra~eler (human or other large ment, environmental educatiQn, Tennessee,South Carolina, North festedanimal) sites. would dare ,e~ter any in- ecotourism development, project Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Infes- management and supervision, tations in'thes~ states have been first aid and even day-care train- linked with interstate movement Considered to be native to parts ing for employees who act as day- of cattle (they eat the fruit), of Central America and the Car- mothers for the children of their composted manure, and ibbean (e.g.Mexico to El Salvador, colleaguesworking in the pro~uc- bahiagrass seedsfrom Florida. So Cuba), wetland nightshade is cur- tion tea~s. The training given,~not far, through a nationally coordi- rently known to occur in six coun- only to employees of the project, nated effort, all incipient infesta- ties in southwest Florida. Al- but also to community representa- tions are being eradicated as soon though first recorded in 1974un- tives, will hopefully create an as they are reported to state and der the s~nym S. houstonii near awareness and understanding of federal officials. a crumbling outbuilding of Fort the environment among the local With its massive prickles and Jefferson on an island of the Dry communities involved in the pro- highly competitive growth habit, Tortugas, 110 km west of Key gram. In the long term this will there has been little good news West,wetland nightshade was not ensure the wise and sui:itainable about the biology of tropical soda noted on the mainland un~11983. management, of not only the wa- apple which has been locally mentter catchments, as a whole. but the . environ- termed the "plant from hell". Its dispersal-to only four other However, with almost 20% of the known sites since then may not area of Florida covered by lakes, seem much cause for alarm, but Disclaimer: The views expressed in this rivers, or wetlands, there was its dominance and rapid rates of message are those of the author, and not some comfort in the discovery that dispersal within these sites are neccesarily those of WNA and/ or its em- this particular weed doesn't like definitely arousing concern. Such ployees. to get its feet wet. But such relief uneasinesshas recently increased Christo Marais, may be shortlived. because infestations identified Programme Manager " Another prickly nightshade might chris@t;is.co.za

Dave Richardson, Botany Depart- be poised to take over where its ment, University of Cape Town rich@botzoo. uct .ac.za upland cousin leaves off". Fax: +27-21-650-4046

10 near Fort Myers in 1995are within management and publicity APHIS), the University of Florida, 50 kIn of critical wildlife refuges the Florida Department of Envi~ and national preserves, and From the beach head it has estab- ronmental Protection,- arid the within 80 km of the Everglades lished in southwest Florida, it now South Florida Water Management National Park. Su-chpristirte cy- threatens federal, state, and pri- District are cooperating to deter- press swamps need to be pro- vate wetlands throughout the mine the feasibility of eradicating tectedfrom a plant which has state. wetland nightshade from one of completely dominated the Thus, there is no need for compla- the smaller infested sites along the understorey vegetation at three cency about its potential distribu- PeaceRiver near Arcadia, Florida, sites. tion elsewhere within and outside the "Sunshine State". Although If eradication appears feasible, a With favorable hydrologic condi- highly susceptible to damage by cooperative eradication project tions, wetland nightsh:adeappears frost, larger plants can resprout will be proposed lor funding in to have displaced native wet~and from protected stem bases, and the near future. plants in at least one cypress seeds remain 1,lnharmed. Thus, swamp. Within a lO-year period, wetland nightshade could at least Wetland nightshade may be vastly wetlarid nightshade has spread survive as an annual in more outshadowed by its upland cousin along 40 kilometre lengths of two northerly areas. in terms of area infested and eco- rivers, with lqcal dispersalresult- nomic impact, but this is definitely ing from the dissipation of seeds The ability of wetland riightshade a species to worry about. or sections of stem. Even pieces of to resprout quickly from the bases It will probably be much more dif- stem shorter than 5 cm are capa-: of cut or damaged stems and root ficult and costly to control ble of producing shoots and ad- remnants, combined with its pro- wetland nightshade in a cypress ventitious roots within a few days digiousreproductive capabilities, dome in a National Park than of placement in water or wet soil. indicate that it will be difficult to tropical soda apple in an open cattle pasture. . contain the spread of this new The pea-sized fruits of wetland wetland invader unless effective nightshade are small berries, management or eradication pro- By acting to eliminate wetland which appear and smell very grams are implemented soon. For- nightshade at this early stage, we much like tiny tomatoes. The fruit hmately, systemic herbicides reg- hope to avoid further degradation contains 10-60seeds, which show istered for wetland use do appear of Florida's wetlands by new spe- over 90% viability. A single stem to be effective for controlling cies capable of the same type of in full sunlight has been recorded stands of wetland riightshade. damage as now widespread to have 250 berriesc exotics such as melaleuca c?ptirnal strategies for managing Melaleucaquinquenervia, Brazilian Becauseof its li~ited distribution regrowth from the seedbank are pepper Schinusterebinthijoliusand and the threat it poses to wetlands also being developed. scores of other invasive plants. in the southeastern United States, both state and federal agenciesare Currently, the U .5. Department of Ali&:on Fox and Randy Westbrooks becoming involved in supporting Agriculture's Animal and Plant [email protected] wetlan,d nightshade research, Health Inspection Service (U5DA

11 Seychelles Islands map Researchinto freshyvater ecosystems"in T~siphone corvina which lives in wood- see page 14. Seychelles turned up another -all too land around the marsh. They feed on in- Seychelles location 11I!!P predictable -invader on the main islands. sects,many of which used to breed in the see contents page. Itwill come as no surprise to many.peo- marsh. Studies of invertebrate numbers pIe that water lettuce Pistia stratioteshas in the woodland show that there has established itself in the coastal marshes been a population crash of 90% in allin- on Mahe, Praslin and La Digue. It is a vertebrate speciesfollowing the collapse recent introduction (some five years of the marsh ecosystem. This is a major ago?) and appears to have been first in- threat to the flycatcher and also to other troduced to the Botanical gardens (in the insectivorous species that have impor- pools outside the Conservation Depart- tant populations on La Digue, such as the ment!) and subsequently to have spread Seychelles swiftlet Aerodramus elaphra as an ornamental. and the sheath-tailed bat Coleura . seychellensis. It was not noticed as a great problem until a study of the largest freshwater Once this problem had been discovered marsh, the "Mare Soupape" on La Digue, on La Digue, other threatened marshes found that water lettuce had spread from came to light. One degraded marsh on a few small patche~ in January 1996 to Mahe has also been destroyed in this way complete coverage of the marsh by July and two other sites were noteq where 1996. There had been previous concern water lettuce was present. In July 1996 that water hyacinth was starting to choke these were localised, but as La Digue the marsh, but by July 1996 most of the shows, only a few mon~s are needed for hyacinth had been smothered by the this weed to completely destroy'these water lettuce. The effect of this invasion small ecosystems.One of the threatened was dramatic; in only 6 months the sites is of especial importance as, since marsh had changed from having a rich the Mare Soupape has been destroyed, fauna, and an important (if speciespoor) it is now the largest semi-natural marsh flora, to being completely stagnant. All area and supports the largest other plant life has died, with the excep- populations of Seychelles terrapins. tion of a few reeds in the process of dy- ing. Anirilallife is now restricted to small Since the Nature Protection Trust of Sey- numbers of snails and beetles living in chelles publicised the problem in 1996 the water film. on the water lettuce, and there has been much interest and concern to large numbers of mosquito larvae. All in Seychelles.There are plans for experi- other m~lluscs and insects haye disap- mentalcle~rance of the destroyed marsh peared, as have the fish. The most seri- on Mahe as a first step towards restor- ous loss has been the endemic terrapin ing themar~h on La Digue. This has not population of the island which has been resulted in practical measures as yet and !'J..d forced into small overcrowded streams the threat remains severe on Mahe, ;, and onto land. There they are being col- Praslin and La Digue. It is to be hoped " i ""1;'.~~ lected for pets or ~re being attacke~ by that we can act to eliminate this intro- : , \ ,1..., , \' dogs and cats. Until July 1996,La DIgue duction before further important sites are -.~!11"", ;\: , T.~~ hadth.e largest Seychelle~ populatio.n of lost; :;;!' l '. .., ~ "', terrapms: now they are virtually extinct. 'I'..,;,17,\'/. .\ " ,., , I. Gerlach ~,~L~1' There are other, more indirect effects. La The Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles '..-,i'f::~" Digue is the only island to retain a popu- 53 River Lane, Cambridge, CB5 BHP, UK ~ lation of the critically endangered Sey- Tel: +44-1223-462430 che)les black paradise flycatcher klcJ 001 @esc.cam.ac, uk In June 1996 a vegetation survey management aheady takes place Eighteen exotic species were re- was carried out on the Indian at .thesesites, along with the on- corded in Cascade S~Louis. Of Ocean Island of Rodrigues (19. going re-introduction of native these, Acacia nilotica subsp. 25'5, 63°25'E).This was part of a species,however none of the ra- adstringens, Furcraea foetida, collaborative Biodiversity Resto- vines on the island are protected. Lantana camara, Leucaena ration project which is being ini- CascadeSt Louis (which was pre- leucocephala, Litsea glutinosa, ple~ented by the Mauritius viously recommended as a re- Pongamiapinnata, Psidium guajava Wildlife Foundation (MWF) with serve) has, with funding from the and Wikstroemia indica are. the technical support from the Royal European Development Fund, most widespread and invasive. Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG recently been fenced to protect All except L. camarawere found Kew), Jersey Wildlife Preserva- the watershed. A vegetation sur- to be regenerating in large quan- tion Trust (JWPT) and Flora and vey was carried out at this site tities from seed, but L.camara Fauna International (FFI). The with a 'view to its future protec~ spreads vegetatively and is now proi~ct is funded by the Global tion and management. a major invasive of woodland Environment Facility (GEF). .and range lands. In 1938, the Although it is easy to see theex- plant pathologist P.C.. Wiehe Rodrigues is probably one of the tensive damage caused by exotic found only one plant on the world's most degraded tropical specieson Rodriguesr the survey whole island. A. nilotica subsp. islands, but its biological value is yielded some alarming results. adstringensposes a very serious high: a total of 145 indigenous Based on 20 random samplesr threat to the site -a plantation and 49 endemic plant species withi~which density counts was made in 1977 on a hillock at have been recorded; 8 end~mic were made of all woody species; the mouth of the valley -and is species are recorded extinct and we counted 95% exotic and 5% spreading rapidly northwards the remainder are mostly highly native plants (Fig 1). threatened. The forests that once clothed the island provided a habitat for a number of endemic birds, vertebrates and insects, including two speciesof giant land 02% tortoise, two species of giant lizard, and the solitaii"e-a flightl~ss 3% bird- all now extinct. No pristine forest remains, only relict pock- ets of extremely modified vegetation. Rapid destruction of the for- .Endemic est has taken place over the last three centuries of colonisation by .Exotic man, initially for timber extrac- tion, followed by clearance for ONon-endemic agriculture, destruction by graz- n ative ing animals and rats, and intro- 95% duction of exotic plant species, Currently there are no controls on the introdu.ction of potentially invasive species.

There are currently four reserves Figure I: Proportion of endemic, non-endemic native and exotic species counted in 20 samples in Cascade St. Louis, Rodrigues. on the island. Extensiv~ weed (Values represent total densities counted)

Fig 1 into the heart of the ravine, al- Goats and cattle graze across ~ work is under~ay to improve most completely outcompeting area known as the "cattle walk" nursery facilities and propagate anything in its way. which covers 55% of the island, material for re-introduction. It is but there are no real boundaries hoped that CascadeSt Louis will A dense thicket of Pongamia and the animals are able to roam be given reserve status and a pinnata grows along the length of freely. Even though the survey management plan formulated for the valley in the river basin; the site is fenced, goats still gain ac- its protectio~ and restoration. canopy reaches 20 metres in cesscausing extensive damage. Meanwhile, continued rapid height and the understorey con- spread of exotic plant species, sists of a mass of seedlings and Rats (Rattus norvegicus and R. coupled with the problems of juvenile plants. The site also con- rattus) are also a major proble~. grazing and rat predation may tains the Critically Endangered Hundreds of rat-predated seeds sadly lead to further disruption (sensunew IUCN categories of of the endemic tree Pandanus of this unique and fragmented threat) endemic species Psiadia hetero(arpus were found, prob- biota. rodriguesiana,which grows on a ably the major causeof its decline sheer cliff face at the head of the at this site. Seed 0£ the only two Thi$ work was carried out as a valley and is threatened by the remaining wild individuals of the collaborative project between the spread of Litsea glutinosa and endemic tree Hibiscus liliiflorus Ministry of Rodrigues Forestry Furcraeafoetida. are also eaten by rats; the seed Service (headed by Hugot The physical problems of tack- germinates freely exsitu but does Meunier ), the Mauritian Wildlife ling infestations such as these are not stand a chance in situ. While Foundation Rodrigues Program colossal. it would be impossible to eradi- (led by Colin Parbery), and the caterats from the island (it cov- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. An additional threat on ers 109 square kilometres, with a Rodrigues is hybridisation with human population of 38,000) shelagh Ken exotic species; for example, the some local control is urgently re- Conservation Projects Development Round Island Bottle Palm quired. U1:tit Hyophorbe lagenicaulis has been Royal Botanic Gardens Kew . introduced for its ornamental The GEF project has been oper- Richmond, Surrey value, and could hybridise with ating on Rodrigues for one year, TW93AB,UK the endemic species H. and while weed eradication con- Fax: +44-181-332-5582 [email protected] . verschaffeltii. tinues at the current reserves,

55°E 56° E + +

Rodrigues (to Mauritius) 1 l,OOO,OOO 00 o ~ ~ta Digue o

& 00 ,+ 419.45'5 ~ Mahe 63°15' Eo 63°30' E

Seychelles 1 2,500,000 +5°5

Seychelles and Rodrigues Islands (Indian Ocean) Aliens listserver thrives "Aliens-l", thelistserver of the Invasive SpeciesSpecialist Group, now has approximately 450 international members who regularly contribute to invasive species discussions: To subscribe, send an e-mail messageto: [email protected]. gen.nz Leave the subject line empty. The only line of messageshould read "subscribe aliens-l II

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Eucalyptus psyllid, Ctenarytainaeucalypti, is regarded as a pest of Eucalyptus in nurser- ies in the UK. In 1994,the AustraJianet:lcyrtid parasitoid, Psyllaephaguspilosus, was de- liberately introduced into the UK to control the psyllid. What is interesting about this is the potential conflict of interest between conservation concerns (for which the psyllid might represent inadvertent but welcome biological control) and the nursery industry. ~ This conflict is not important in the UK where eucalypts are not invasive, but for Spain etc. any potential value of the psyllid as an effective biocoritrol agent is probabJy now lost for good: eventually at least the psyllid and the parasitoid are likely to find their way around Europe wherever the host plants are present.1 speculate that this was probably not one of the issues evaluated by the UKGovemment when deciding to giv~ per- mission for the release; it ~sJikely that the main considerations were the possibilities of reducing the need for insecticide to protect trees and, obviously, issuesof host specificity.

Simon Fowler [email protected] I:JJ

~ As ares1.lltof the UN Conference on Invasive Speciesheld in Trondheim, Norway, on 15 July 1996,the Office of Environmental Policy and Planning, Ministry of Science,Tech- nology and Environment of the Royal Thai Government has appointed a Working Group on Alien Species,under the subcommittee on the Convention on Biological Diversity, to take responsibility UI)der Article 8(h) of the Convention. The Working Group is chaired by Dr Banpot Napompeth, Exe~utive Director, National Biological Control Res~arch Center, Kasetsart University.

Banpot Napompeth

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~ A measure of the increasing global interest in combattirig established marine invasions is shown by the following list of meetings, held in early 1997: 1. Dynamics of Invasive Marine Species:Application to the Expansion of Caulerpataxif()lia in the Mecliterra:nean. , 2. The European Shore Crab (Carcinusmaenas) in Australian Waters: Workshop on Im- pacts and Management Options. 3. Second International Conference on Invasive Spartina. 4, "Ballast Water Workirig Group" of the United Nations'International Maritime Organi- sation (IMO). , 5..Study Group on Ballast Water and Ballast Sediments. 6. Annual meeting of the Workirig Group on Introductions and Transfers of Marine Or- ganisms (WGITMO) of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Lu Eldredge (Pacific Science Association) and Ron Thresher (CSIRO CRIMP) are con.: vening a symposium on marine invasions during the VIII Pacific Science Inter-Con- gress in Fiji from July 13-191997.

James T Carlton ;[email protected] ~

Invasions publications

The following collections of papers may be 9f interest. Both stem from a workshop held at the University of California, Davis. Advan£es in Invasion Ecolo~ is a special feature in the September 1996issue of Ecology (77: 1651-1697). Invasion Biolo~ is a special issue of the 1996 BiologicalConservation (78: 1-214),featur- ing 18 reviews/papers.

Peter Moyle [email protected] ~

t\~ \ ..United States weeds .I. publicatibns The United States Department of the Interior has produced a document: Preserving Our ~ Natural Heritage -A strategic ~lanfor Managing Invasive Nonnative Plants on Na- !;tonal P~rk ~~stem .Lands. Further Wormation from: National Parks Service, P,O.Box 37127,Washmgton DC 20013-7127,USA. Also available is: Pulling Together -National Strateg~ for Invasive Plant Management Further information on Internet at: http:/ /bluegoose.arw.r9.fws.gov /ficmnewfiles/ N atlweedStrategytoc.htm1

The following organisationsare gratefully acknowledged for their support in the production of Aliens:

New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Landcare Research/ManaakiWhenua New Zealand Ltd, New Zealand Conservation Authority, U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and The World Conservation Union University of Auckland School of Environmental and Ma- rine Sciences.