Invasive non-native species
FACT: There are 1,402 non-native plants established in the wild in Great Britain, of which 108 (8%) are stated to have a negative impact.
What UK legislation covers invasive non-native plants?
The Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) recognised the need to control certain species of invasive plants and animals already causing a problem in the UK, listing them in Schedule 9. Originally only giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) and Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) were listed. However, in April 2010 a further 36 plants were added onto Schedule 9 (see below for a download of the list). A recent amendment to the Wildlife and Countryside Act has a new provision to ban specific plants from sale. In April 2014 a ban on sale of five of the worst invasive water plants in the UK came into force. The five species banned from sale are:
†Azolla filiculoides †Crassula helmsii †Hydrocotyle ranunuculoides †Ludwigia grandiflora and L. peploides †Myriophyllum aquaticum
The development of policy and legislation in relation to the environment is one of the areas that falls under the devolved administrations;
FACT: It is a criminal offence to plant or cause to grow a non-native invasive species that is listed on Schedule 9 in the wild which carries penalties of up to £5,000 fine and/or 2 years imprisonment.
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